Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
Eur J Pharm Biopharm. 2010 Feb;74(2):184-92. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2009.08.011. Epub 2009 Sep 15.
Hydrogels play an important role in drug delivery and tissue engineering applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and their variable mechanical and physical properties, which allow their optimization for many different aspects of the intended use. In this study, we examined the suitability of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels as release systems for nanometer-sized drugs or drug carriers, like nanoparticles, using the radically cross-linkable oligo(poly(ethylene glycol)fumarate) (OPF) together with two cross-linking agents. Different fluorescent nanoparticulate probes with respect to size and physical structure were incorporated in the cross-linked hydrogels, and the obtained release profiles were correlated with the physical properties and the chemical structure of the gels, indicating a strong dependence of the release on the chosen PEG prepolymers. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by oscillatory rheometry and swelling experiments. Release experiments as well as diffusion measurements using fluorescence recovery after photobleaching showed the great potential of this type of hydrogels for the preparation of adjustable release systems by altering the molecular weights of the used PEG molecules.
水凝胶由于其优异的生物相容性和可变化的机械和物理性能，在药物输送和组织工程应用中发挥着重要作用，其性能可针对预期用途的许多不同方面进行优化。在这项研究中，我们研究了聚（乙二醇）（PEG）基水凝胶作为纳米级药物或药物载体（如纳米颗粒）释放系统的适用性，使用可自由基交联的低聚（聚（乙二醇）马来酸酯）（OPF）与两种交联剂一起。将不同大小和物理结构的荧光纳米颗粒探针掺入交联水凝胶中，所得释放曲线与凝胶的物理性质和化学结构相关联，表明释放强烈依赖于所选 PEG 预聚物。通过振荡流变学和溶胀实验对制备的水凝胶进行了表征。释放实验以及使用荧光恢复后光漂白的扩散测量表明，这种类型的水凝胶在通过改变使用的 PEG 分子的分子量来制备可调释放系统方面具有很大的潜力。
