Zusammenfassung
Hydrogels are very attractive materials to embed biologics for controlled release over long timescales. However, aqueous preparations pose certain obstacles regarding protein integrity, stability of functional groups, and loading capacity. To overcome these obstacles, the Diels-Alder reaction of furyl- and maleimide-functionalized eight-armed poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was used for the polymer ...
Zusammenfassung
Hydrogels are very attractive materials to embed biologics for controlled release over long timescales. However, aqueous preparations pose certain obstacles regarding protein integrity, stability of functional groups, and loading capacity. To overcome these obstacles, the Diels-Alder reaction of furyl- and maleimide-functionalized eight-armed poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was used for the polymer preparation in the melt. The water-free reaction was investigated for protein interactions, protein- and maleimide group stability, and protein loading capacity. The melt polymerization was found to be highly protective against protein PEGylation and maleimide hydrolysis. The polymer gels were evaluated as a potential release system for biologics, achieving controlled release of the model protein glucose oxidase over a time period of 100 days. Furthermore, the loading could be increased to 15% (w/w) without influencing the release kinetics. This work represents a promising preparation method for degradable and water-free drug delivery systems that can be used to encapsulate biologics for controlled release.
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