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Autoclaving of Poloxamer 407 hydrogel and its use as a drug delivery vehicle
Author(s) -
Beard Mary Catherine,
Cobb Leah H.,
Grant Christine S.,
Varadarajan Anandavalli,
Henry Taylor,
Swanson Elizabeth A.,
Kundu Santanu,
Priddy Lauren B.
Publication year - 2021
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.34703
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , poloxamer 407 , drug delivery , poloxamer , sterilization (economics) , vancomycin , materials science , chemistry , rheology , polymer , biomedical engineering , chemical engineering , staphylococcus aureus , nanotechnology , bacteria , medicine , polymer chemistry , composite material , copolymer , engineering , biology , economics , foreign exchange , monetary economics , foreign exchange market , genetics
With antibiotic‐resistant bacteria becoming increasingly prevalent, biomaterials capable of targeted, in situ drug delivery are urgently needed. The synthetic polymer Poloxamer 407 (P407) is of particular interest due to its thermoreversible gelation. Clinical use of P407 typically involves sterilization via autoclaving, but the effects of these extreme environmental conditions on hydrogel water content, rheological properties and efficacy as a drug delivery vehicle remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of autoclaving on the properties of P407 hydrogel. Autoclaving reduced hydrogel water content due to evaporation, thus increasing the polymer weight fraction of the hydrogels. In contrast, except for a reduction in gelation temperature following autoclaving, autoclaved hydrogels had similar rheological properties as nonautoclaved hydrogels. In vitro, autoclaving did not hinder the hydrogel's efficacy as a carrier for vancomycin antibiotic, and P407 (with and without vancomycin) had a bactericidal effect on planktonic Staphylococcus aureus . An in vivo pilot study using P407 to deliver bacteriophage highlighted the need for additional understanding of the functionality of the hydrogel for surgical applications. In conclusion, P407 hydrogel water content and gelation temperature were reduced by autoclave sterilization, while other rheological properties and the efficacy of the biomaterial as a delivery vehicle for vancomycin in vitro were unaffected.