Curing Behavior of Silicone Rubber in the Presence of Silicone Oil and Two Steroid Drugs

Silicone rubbers, mostly based on polydimethylsiloxane, are promised candidates as implantable carriers for delivery of a wide variety of biologically active agents. Crosslinking density of these materials plays a crucial role to satisfy the desirable mechanical properties and bioavailability of the devices but it affects by different factors including additives e.g., drug(s) type and content. In this study, the effects of silicone oil (as a dispersing aid) and two steroid drugs i.e., progesterone and estradiol benzoate on the curing profile of silicone elastomer is examined by differential scanning calorimetry. The results indicate the inertness of drugs at the concentration levels studied here. Also, silicone oil, as a diluting agent, reduces the overall crosslink density and surface hardness of samples

Keywords:

Silicone rubber , Steroid drugs , Silicone Oil , Curing behavior , Differential Scanning Calorimetry