Polymer Architecture Effects on Poly(N,N-Diethyl Acrylamide)-b-Poly(Ethylene Glycol)-b-Poly(N,N-Diethyl Acrylamide) Thermoreversible Gels and Their Evaluation as a Healthcare Material
Haddow P.J. da Silva M.A. Kaldybekov D.B. Dreiss C.A. Hoffman E. Hutter V. Khutoryanskiy V.V. Kirton S.B. Mahmoudi N. McAuley W.J. Cook M.T.
March 2022John Wiley and Sons Inc
Macromolecular Bioscience
2022#22Issue 3
Thermoreversible gels which transition between liquid-like and solid-like states when warmed have enabled significant novel healthcare technologies. Poly(N,N-diethyl acrylamide) (PDEA) is a thermoresponsive polymer which can be used as a trigger to form thermoreversible gels, however its use in these materials is limited and crucial design principles are unknown. Herein ABA copolymers with the structure PDEA-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-b-PDEA are synthesized to give four block copolymers with varied molecular weight of PDEA and PEG blocks. Rheometry on solutions of the block copolymers reveals that high molecular weight PEG blocks are required to form thermoreversible gels with predominantly solid-like behavior. Furthermore, small-angle X-ray scattering elucidates clear differences in the nanostructure of the copolymer library which can be linked to distinct rheological behaviors. A thermoreversible gel formulation based on PDEA (20 kDa)-b-PEG (10 kDa)-b-PDEA (20 kDa) is designed by optimizing the polymer concentration and ionic strength. It is found that the gel is mucoadhesive, stable, and non-toxic, as well as giving controlled release of a hydrophobic drug. Overall, this study provides insight into the effect of polymer architecture on the nanostructure and rheology of PDEA-b-PEG-b-PDEA and presents the development of a highly functional thermoreversible gel with high promise for healthcare applications.
drug delivery , hydrogel , in situ gels , mucoadhesion , stimuli-responsive polymers
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Research Centre in Topical Drug Delivery and Toxicology, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, AL10 9AB, United Kingdom
School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy, University of Reading, Berkshire, Reading, RG6 6UR, United Kingdom
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science, Kings College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
Research Centre in Topical Drug Delivery and Toxicology
School of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
Institute of Pharmaceutical Science
ISIS Neutron and Muon Source
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