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New Poly[( R )‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐ co ‐4‐hydroxybutyrate] (P3HB4HB)‐Based Thermogels
Author(s) -
Wee Chien Yi,
Liow Sing Shy,
Li Zibiao,
Wu YunLong,
Loh Xian Jun
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
macromolecular chemistry and physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.57
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1521-3935
pISSN - 1022-1352
DOI - 10.1002/macp.201700196
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , biodegradation , copolymer , polyethylene glycol , drug delivery , hydrolysis , chemical engineering , polymer chemistry , chemistry , surface modification , materials science , polymer , organic chemistry , engineering
Poly[( R )‐3‐hydroxybutyrate] (P3HB) is a potential candidate for biomaterials due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, P3HB needs to have tunable hydrophobicity, modification through chemical functionalization and the right hydrolytic stability to increase their potential for water‐based biomedical applications such as using them as in situ forming gels for drug delivery. This work focuses on using a copolymer, poly[( R )‐3‐hydroxybutyrate‐ co ‐4‐hydroxybutyrate] (P3HB4HB) in a thermogelling multiblock system with polypropylene glycol and polyethylene glycol to study the effect of the hydrophobic P3HB4HB on gelation properties, degradation, and drug release rates with reference to P3HB. Thermogels containing P3HB4HB segments show lower critical micellization concentration values in a range from 3 × 10 −4 to 1.08 × 10 −3 g mL −1 and lower critical gelation concentration values ranging from 2 to 6 wt% than that of gels containing P3HB. Furthermore, gels containing P3HB4HB degrade at a slower rate than the gels containing P3HB. Drug release studies of 5 µg mL −1 of doxorubicin show that gels containing P3HB4HB exhibit sustained release although the release rates are faster than gels containing P3HB. However, this can be modified by varying the concentration of the gels used. Process optimization of purifying the starting material is one important factor before the synthesis of these biomaterials.