{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,23]],"date-time":"2026-06-23T17:53:17Z","timestamp":1782237197321,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,31]],"date-time":"2026-05-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780185600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Deanship of Scientific Research, Vice Presidency for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia","award":["KFU262162"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["KFU262162"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Membranes"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The swelling-regulated transport properties of modified and cross-linked HPC-based hydrogel formulations containing NaCMC and citric acid were studied as stimuli-responsive polymeric membranes under various conditions, including deionized water. Physiological conditions were simulated by evaluating various pH conditions (1.2, 6.8, and 7.4). The pseudo-second-order kinetic model best described the swelling process, suggesting that both solvent uptake capacity and polymer network relaxation contribute to the extent of swelling. The swelling behavior of the hydrogel formulations was significantly influenced by salt concentration. The modified HPC hydrogel system exhibited stimuli-responsive swelling\u2013switching behavior under saline, water\/ethanol, and acidic\/basic environments, demonstrating reversible swelling\u2013deswelling cycles. Maximum swelling was observed in water at pH 7.4. In contrast, abrupt deswelling in an ethanol solution at pH 1.2 reduced hydrogel swelling and water uptake. The effect of temperature on the swelling behavior of the hydrogel and its thermo-responsive swelling behavior was also evaluated. Drug release behavior suggested diffusion-mediated release through the swelling hydrogel matrix. These findings suggest that the modified HPC-based hydrogel system may be useful for pH-responsive oral drug delivery applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/membranes16060187","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T12:19:42Z","timestamp":1780316382000},"page":"187","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["pH-Responsive Hydroxypropyl Cellulose-Based Membranes for Controlled Mass Transport and Drug Release"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9679-640X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ahmed Mahmoud","family":"Ismail","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Pests and Plant Diseases Unit, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ayesha","family":"Sattar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Lahore, Sargodha Campus, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0222-3991","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad","family":"Amin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, University of Lahore, Sargodha Campus, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-5452-5040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad Asif","family":"Shabbir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-9231-9560","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mustansar","family":"Mubeen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3957-0196","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad","family":"Umer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Breeding and Multiplication (Sanya Institute of Breeding and Multiplication), College of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, Sanya 572025, China"},{"name":"Department of Plant Pathology, College of Plant Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4182-8969","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yasir","family":"Iftikhar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha 40100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9355-1543","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ramy S.","family":"Yehia","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0324-8055","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Basem M.","family":"Abdallah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9794-1557","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enas M.","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6737-9463","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Biju Vadakkemukadiyil","family":"Chellappan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0595-5394","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Khaled M. A.","family":"Ramadan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Central Laboratories, Department of Chemistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"320","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2017.03.014","article-title":"Carboxymethyl cellulose\/graphene oxide bio-nanocomposite hydrogel beads as anticancer drug carrier agent","volume":"168","author":"Rasoulzadeh","year":"2017","journal-title":"Carbohydr. Polym."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"295","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2017.01.010","article-title":"Gelatin- and starch-based hydrogels. Part B Vitr. Mesenchymal Stem Cell Behavior on the Hydrogels","volume":"161","author":"Salamon","year":"2017","journal-title":"Carbohydr. 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