Thermosensitivity and release from poly N-isopropylacrylamide-polylactide copolymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Thermoresponsive polymers offer tunable properties for drug delivery.
• Biodegradable polymers are crucial for temporary medical applications.
• Combining these properties can lead to advanced biomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize thermoresponsive-co-biodegradable polymers.
• To investigate the influence of composition on polymer properties.
• To evaluate drug release kinetics from these novel polymer systems.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) and poly-lactic acid diacrylate macromer (PLAM) copolymers.
• Characterization using NMR, FTIR, and SEM.
• In vitro degradation studies and swelling behavior analysis.
• Drug release studies using indomethacin (IDM) as a model drug.

Main Results:

• Polymers exhibited thermoresponsive behavior with LCST dependent on PLAM content.
• Swelling and degradation rates were influenced by temperature and PLAM concentration.
• Faster degradation and drug release were observed below the LCST.
• SEM revealed structural changes during degradation, accelerated by higher lactide content.

Conclusions:

• Developed polymers demonstrate tunable thermoresponsive and biodegradable characteristics.
• Composition and temperature significantly impact degradation and drug release profiles.
• These materials show promise for controlled drug delivery applications.