2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methylmethacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethyl methacrylate, and lignocaine (drug) were mixed together and the monomers were copolymerized at 60 °C through a free radical polymerization in the presence of α,α'-Azoisobutyronitrile in tetrahydrofuran. A series of copolymer/drug composites with different monoacrylate monomer compositions were prepared by solvent evaporation and characterized by different methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical and optical testing. The water content in the copolymers and the cell viability test on the samples were also examined in this investigation. The results of the analyses of the properties of this drug-carrier system are promising, indicating that this material may be a potential candidate for contact lens applications. The release dynamic of this medication from the prepared drug-carrier systems was investigated in neutral pH media. The results obtained revealed that the diffusion of lignocaine through the copolymer matrix obeys the Fick model and the dynamic release can be easily controlled by the methyl methacrylate content in the copolymer.
Keywords: Poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-methylmethacrylate)/lignocaine drug-carrier system; cell viability; contact lens; mechanical properties; transparency; water content.