Temperature-Induced Gelation Plurnic-g-Poly(acrylic acid) Graft Copolymers for Prolonged Drug Delivery to the Eye

摘要

Copolymers of PEO/PPO/PEO triblock polyethers (Pluronic polyols) grafted onto a bioadhesive polymer backbone, plyacrylic acid (PAAc), exhibit unique, thermally-induced solution-to-gel phase transitions when their aqueous solutiosn are warmed. The bioadhesive, thermally-gelling properties of these graft copolymers makes them useful for prolonged delivery of drugs to mucosal surfaces, such as the surface of the eye. I nvitro drug release from the graft copolymer matrices is prolonged significantly at 34 deg C in PBS compared to homo-PAAc or physical mixtures of PAAc and Pluronic polyols, especially when Pluronic polyols with relatively long PPO segments are grafted.