Abstract
Chemically crosslinked biodegradable hydrogels based on di-acrylated Pluronic F-127 tri-block copolymer were prepared by a photopolymerization method. Poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres were physically entrapped within the Pluronic hydrogel in order to modulate the local pH environment by acidic degradation by-products of PLGA microspheres. The PLGA microspheres were slowly degraded to create an acidic microenvironment, which facilitated the cleavage of an acid-labile ester-linkage in the biodegradable Pluronic hydrogel network. The presence of PLGA microspheres accelerated the degradation of the Pluronic hydrogel and enhanced the protein release rate when protein was loaded in the hydrogel.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 957-962 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Macromolecular Bioscience |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 20 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Biodegradable
- PLGA microspheres
- Photopolymerization
- Pluronic hydrogels
- Protein delivery