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Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning

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Temperature-responsive biocompatible copolymers incorporating hyperbranched polyglycerols for adjustable

Darlene K Taylor¹, Friederike L Jayes, Alan J House

¹Department of Chemistry, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 27707, USA; mochieng@eagles.nccu.edu.

Journal of Functional Biomaterials

|November 8, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Novel temperature-triggered copolymers were synthesized for injectable drug delivery. These biocompatible and degradable materials show tunable properties, offering potential for advanced therapeutic release systems.

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Magnetic and Thermal-sensitive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based Microgels for Magnetically Triggered Controlled Release

Magnetic and Thermal-sensitive Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based Microgels for Magnetically Triggered Controlled Release

Published on: July 4, 2017

Area of Science:

Biomaterials Science
Polymer Chemistry
Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

Injectable drug delivery systems require ideal material platforms that are temperature-triggered, degradable, and allow for active molecule linkage.
Existing options for degradable biomaterials with temperature-responsive properties are limited, especially for accommodating active molecule conjugation.

Purpose of the Study:

To design and synthesize novel temperature-responsive copolymers for potential use in injectable drug delivery.
To evaluate the thermoresponsive, biocompatible, and degradation characteristics of the synthesized copolymers.

Main Methods:

Synthesis of a multifunctional macromer, methacrylated hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG-MA).
Copolymerization of HPG-MA with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), hydroxyethyl methacrylate-polylactide (HEMAPLA), and acrylic acid (AAc).
Characterization of copolymer properties including lower critical solution temperature (LCST), biocompatibility (cell co-culture assays), and degradation rates.

Main Results:

Poly(NIPAAm-co-HEMAPLA-co-AAc-co-HPG-MA) copolymers exhibited increasing LCST with higher HPG content, reaching ~30 °C at 17% HPG incorporation.
The copolymer with maximum HPG content demonstrated no toxicity to human uterine fibroid cells over 72 hours.
The copolymer exhibited rapid degradation, losing approximately 92% of its mass within 17 hours at 37 °C.

Conclusions:

The synthesized copolymers possess attractive thermoresponsive, biocompatible, and rapid degradation properties.
These novel biomaterials are suitable for designing drug delivery systems with orthogonally triggered release mechanisms.
The materials offer potential for therapeutic release over relatively short time periods.