Catalog NumberHG9004653
CAS Number9004-65-3
CategoryPolymer Surfactants
Use as film-forming agent.
Use as thickening agent.
Use as sustained-release agent.
Use as water-based lubricant.
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Physicochemical Properties for Ocular Drug Delivery
Tundisi, L. L., et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 159 (2021): 105736.
Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) was investigated for its physicochemical properties relevant to ocular drug delivery, with emphasis on the relationship between chemical structure and formulation performance in ophthalmic applications.
Experimental Protocol: The review examined USP-classified HPMC types (1828, 2208, 2906, 2910) with varying degrees of methyl substitution (DS: 1.3-1.9) and hydroxypropyl molar substitution (MS: 0.13-0.82). Thermal properties were characterized by DSC (Tg: 170-207 °C, Tdec: 340-344 °C). Surface and interfacial tension measurements assessed amphiphilic character. Drug release kinetics from HPMC matrices were analyzed with respect to polymer molecular weight, DS, and formulation geometry. Biodegradation was evaluated in vitro and in vivo in rabbit vitreous cavities.
Performance Evaluation: HPMC demonstrated excellent biocompatibility for ocular applications: no toxicity was observed for rabbit corneal endothelial cells or human anterior chambers at typical injection volumes (~0.1 mL of 2.0-2.5 wt% HPMC). In rabbit vitreous cavities, HPMC concentrations decreased slowly (93% at 48 h, 78% at 4 weeks, complete clearance at 10 weeks). The polymer's thermal gelation behavior was DS-dependent: higher DS samples had lower cloud points due to enhanced hydrophobic methyl group associations. HPMC reduced water/air surface tension from 71.3 to 39.0 mJ/m², enabling efficient emulsification. Its uncharged nature ensured pH-independent solubility across physiological conditions.
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Hydroxypropyl Content Effects on Hydrocolloid Systems
Wang, Yanfei, et al. Food Chemistry 379 (2022): 132075.
The effect of hydroxypropyl group content on the phase structure, rheological properties, and film characteristics of HPMC hydrocolloid systems blended with hydroxypropyl starch (HPS) was systematically investigated for edible packaging applications.
Experimental Protocol: Three HPMC types with varying hydroxypropyl substitution degrees (DS) were blended with HPS at ratios of 10:0, 5:5, and 0:10 (w/w). Film-forming solutions (5 wt%) were cast with 1.5% PEG as plasticizer and dried at 37 °C. Phase morphology was observed by optical microscopy with iodine staining. Rheological properties were measured using temperature sweeps (5-85 °C) and frequency sweeps (1-100 rad/s) at controlled strains. Synchrotron SAXS/WAXS characterized film crystallinity and fractal structure. Mechanical properties and oxygen permeability were measured per ASTM standards.
Performance Evaluation: HPMC-HPS blends displayed a typical "sea-island" morphology; higher DS of HPMC decreased compatibility with HPS, forming larger HPMC domains. A higher DS promoted thermal gelation: the sol-gel transition temperature decreased from 65.8 °C (low DS) to 60.7 °C (high DS). Blends with better compatibility (lower DS HPMC) exhibited enhanced gel strength at 85 °C, with moduli exceeding those of pure components. Films with higher DS HPMC showed denser structure, improved oxygen barrier properties, and marginally higher crystallinity, but reduced tensile strength, elongation, and elastic modulus, indicating that mechanical properties were governed by chain interactions rather than crystallinity.
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose Light-Blocking Films with Different Salts: Microstructure and Performance
Zhang, Liang, et al. International journal of biological macromolecules 120 (2018): 945-951.
Photophobic (white) films were prepared by blending HPMC with four different salts-monosodium phosphate (MP), sodium citrate (SC), sodium lactate (SL), and magnesium citrate (MC)-at lower drying temperatures, overcoming the limitations of previous HPMC/calcium salt and HPMC/TiO2 systems.
Experimental Protocol: HPMC (10 wt%) solutions containing MP (5%), SC (5%), SL (15%), or MC (1%) were cast and dried at 37 °C. Films were characterized by XRD for crystallinity, SAXS for fractal dimension analysis, SEM for cross-section morphology, and automatic whiteness meter for photophobic property. DMA measured storage modulus (E') and tan δ from 25-200 °C at 1 Hz. Tensile properties were measured at 8 mm/min.
Performance Evaluation: All four salts produced white films with decreased crystallinity compared to pure HPMC (CD: 39.2% → 28.3-33.4%). SAXS revealed a transition from mass fractal (Dm = 2.61) in pure HPMC to more compact and smoother surface fractal structures (Ds ≈ 2.7) in all HPMC/salt films. Whiteness values ranged from 14.58% (MC) to 77.24% (SL). Porous cross-section morphology was the primary contributor to photophobic properties via refractive index differences between polymer and air phases. HPMC/MC film uniquely showed improved tensile strength and elongation without modulus sacrifice, attributed to its smoother morphology. All salts decreased Tg (from 182.78 °C to 175.35-182.55 °C), acting as plasticizers.