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Mapping intermediate degradation products of poly(lactic‐ co ‐glycolic acid) in vitro
Author(s) -
Li Jian,
Nemes Peter,
Guo Ji
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.33920
Subject(s) - glycolic acid , plga , degradation (telecommunications) , materials science , polymer , hydrolysis , electrospray ionization , polymer degradation , hydrolytic degradation , mass spectrometry , biodegradation , lactic acid , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , organic chemistry , chemistry , computer science , chromatography , composite material , nanoparticle , engineering , telecommunications , genetics , bacteria , biology
There is widespread interest in using absorbable polymers, such as poly(lactic‐ co ‐glycolic acid) (PLGA), as components in the design and manufacture of new‐generation drug eluting stents (DES). PLGA undergoes hydrolysis to progressively degrade through intermediate chemical entities to simple organic acids that are ultimately absorbed by the human body. Understanding the composition and structure of these intermediate degradation products is critical not only to elucidate polymer degradation pathways accurately, but also to assess the safety and performance of absorbable cardiovascular implants. However, analytical approaches to determining the intermediate degradation products have yet to be established and evaluated in a standard or regulatory setting. Hence, we developed a methodology using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to qualitatively and quantitatively describe intermediate degradation products generated in vitro from two PLGA formulations commonly used in DES. Furthermore, we assessed the temporal evolution of these degradation products using time‐lapse experiments. Our data demonstrated that PLGA degradation products via heterogeneous cleavage of ester bonds are modulated by multiple intrinsic and environmental factors, including polymer chemical composition, degradants solubility in water, and polymer synthesis process. We anticipate the methodologies and outcomes presented in this work will elevate the mechanistic understanding of comprehensive degradation profiles of absorbable polymeric devices, and facilitate the design and regulation of cardiovascular implants by supporting the assessments of the associated biological response to degradation products. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 1129–1137, 2018.