Synthesis and characterization of a biodegradable amphiphilic copolymer based on branched poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) and poly(ethylene glycol) |
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| Authors: | Tao Zou Song‐Lin Li Xian‐Zheng Zhang Xiao‐Jun Wu Si‐Xue Cheng Ren‐Xi Zhuo |
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| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China;2. Yangtze River Scientific Research Institute, Wuhan 430010, People's Republic of China;3. Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China |
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| Abstract: | A novel biodegradable amphiphilic copolymer with hydrophobic poly(ε‐caprolactone) branches containing cholic acid moiety and a hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) chain was synthesized. The copolymer was characterized by FTIR, 1H NMR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarizing light microscopy (PLM), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD) analysis. The amphiphilic copolymer could self‐assemble into micelles in an aqueous solution. The critical micelle concentration of the amphiphilic copolymer was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. A nanoparticle drug delivery system with a regularly spherical shape was prepared with high encapsulation efficiency. The in vitro drug release from the drug‐loaded polymeric nanoparticles was investigated. Because of the branched structure of the hydrophobic part of the copolymer and the relatively fast degradation rate of the copolymer, an improved release behavior was observed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 45: 5256–5265, 2007 |
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| Keywords: | biodegradable biomaterials micelles ring‐opening polymerization |
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