Research Article Ciprofloxacin Release Using Natural Rubber Latex Membranes as Carrier Heitor Dias Murbach, 1 Guilherme Jaques Ogawa, 1 Felipe Azevedo Borges, 1,2 Matheus Carlos Romeiro Miranda, 2 Rute Lopes, 2 Natan Roberto de Barros, 1,2 Alexandre Vinicius Guedes Mazalli, 1 Rosângela Gonçalves da Silva, 1 José Luiz Ferreira Cinman, 1 Bruno de Camargo Drago, 3 and Rondinelli Donizetti Herculano 1,2 1 Biological Sciences Department, Faculty of Language & Sciences, S˜ ao Paulo State University (UNESP), 2100 Dom Antonio Avenue, 19806-900 Assis, SP, Brazil 2 Chemistry Institute, S˜ ao Paulo State University, 55 Professor Francisco Degni Street, 14800-060 Araraquara, SP, Brazil 3 Physics Department, Faculty of Sciences, S˜ ao Paulo State University, 14-01 Engenheiro Luiz Edmundo Carrijo Coube Avenue, 17033-360 Bauru, SP, Brazil Correspondence should be addressed to Rondinelli Donizetti Herculano; rond.donizetti@gmail.com Received 28 July 2014; Revised 26 October 2014; Accepted 10 November 2014; Published 22 December 2014 Academic Editor: Ravin Narain Copyright © 2014 Heitor Dias Murbach et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Natural rubber latex (NRL) from Hevea brasiliensis is easily manipulated, low cost, is of can stimulate natural angiogenesis and cellular adhesion, is a biocompatible, material and presents high mechanical resistance. Ciprofoxacin (CIP) is a synthetic antibiotic (fuoroquinolone) used in the treatment of infection at external fxation screws sites and remote infections, and this use is increasingly frequent in medical practice. Te aim of this study was to develop a novel sustained delivery system for CIP based on NRL membranes and to study its delivery system behavior. CIP was found to be adsorbed on the NRL membrane, according to results of energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results show that the membrane can release CIP for up to 59.08% in 312 hours and the mechanism is due to super case II (non-Fickian). Te kinetics of the drug release could be ftted with double exponential function X-ray difraction and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy shows some interaction by hydrogen bound, which infuences its mechanical behavior. 1. Introduction Ciprofoxacin (CIP) is a fuoroquinolone, a synthetic antibi- otic of the quinolone drug class [1]. Synthesized in 1981, it is a second-generation antibacterial and recently was pointed out as the most consumed antibacterial agent worldwide and the 5th most commonly prescribed generic antibacterial in the USA [2, 3]. Tis high level of use, some due to misuse in the sense of unnecessary administration and consumption in irregular dose or with methods neither approved nor supervised by medical professionals, has been blamed for the rapid development of bacterial resistance against this drugs’ class [2, 4]. Ciprofoxacin is efective in the eradication of a wide spectrum of Gram-negative and some specifc Gram-positive bacteria, including most strains of bacterial pathogens responsible for respiratory, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and abdominal infections. It is commonly administrated for P. aeruginosa osteomyelitis and is widely used as a prophylactic measure in osteomyelitis surgeries [5–7]. Te drug shows efcacy and safety in the treatment of adult patients with serious skin and sof tissue infections caused by a variety of bacterial pathogens [8]. Te spectrum of activity of the CIP and the location of several injuries which can be treated with this drug open discussion for a new site-specifc approach for some infrmities. Hindawi Publishing Corporation International Journal of Biomaterials Volume 2014, Article ID 157952, 7 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/157952