The aim of this work was to test the application of new copolymeric po
ly(acrylamide-co-monomethyl itaconate) (A/MMI) hydrogels to 5-fluorour
acil (5-FU) release. Three different compositions of copolymers have b
een studied, 90A:10MMI, 75A:25MMI and 60A:40MMI. The equilibrium swell
ing degree in saline solution was between 76 and 80% depending on the
copolymer composition. 5-FU, as the sodium salt, was trapped in the ge
ls by including it in the feed mixture of polymerization. The swelling
kinetics of the hydrogels in saline solution were studied at four tem
peratures, and the diffusion coefficient and the activation energy of
the process were obtained. The 5-FU release as a function of temperatu
re and disc load was studied; the diffusion coefficient and the activa
tion energy of the release process were also obtained. The diffusion s
tudies follow Fick's second law. (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited