RELEASE OF IBUPROFEN FROM PEG-PLLA ELECTROSPUN FIBERS CONTAINING POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL)-b-POLY(α-HYDROXY OCTANOIC ACID) AS AN ADDITIVE

<正>Poly(α-hydroxy octanoic acid) was first used as an additive for the preparation of electrospun ultra-fine fibers of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(L-lactide)(PEG-PLLA).Ibuprofen was loaded in the electrospun ultra-fine fibers.The results from environmental scanning electron microscopy(ESEM),wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD) and differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) demonstrated that ibuprofen could be perfectly entrapped in the fibers electrospun from PEG-PLLA usingα-hydroxy octanoic acid or PEG-b-poly(α-hydroxy octanoic acid)(PEG-PHOA) as additives.Compared with electrospun PEG-PLLA fibers which entrapped 20 wt%ibuprofen,the PEG-PLLA electrospun fibers containing PEG-PHOA exhibited integral and robust after 1 week incubated in 37℃,pH 7.4 phosphate buffer solution with 10μg/mL proteinase K.Compared with electrospun fibers without PEG-PHOA,the concentration of proteinase K in release media had less effect on the release rate of ibuprofen.An unique release profile was found from PEG-PLLA fiber after the incorporation of PEG-PHOA. Enzyme degradation experiments demonstrated that PEG-PHOA but notα-hydroxy octanoic acid monomer was the crucial factor for integrity maintenance of the electrospun fibers,which may be due to the enzyme degradation tolerance property of the PEG-PHOA polymer additive.     

STUDIES ON MISCIBILITY OF POLY (ε-CAPROLACTONE) AND ALIPHATIC POLYCARBONATE BLENDS AND DETERMINATION OF THEIR INTERACTION PARAMETER*

In this paper the miscibility of poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and aliphatic polycarbonate (APC) is studied by using DSC. The results show that PCL and APC are miscible in all ranges of composition. The interaction parameter between the polymers is calculated from the melting point depression data. Using optical microscope, the shapes of the PCL spherulites in the blends are observed.     

IN SITU OBSERVATION OF MELTING AND CRYSTALLIZATION BEHAVIORS OF POLY(ε-CAPROLACTONE) ULTRA-THIN FILMS BY AFM TECHNIQUE

The melting and crystallization behaviors of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) ultra-thin films with thickness from 15 nm to 8 nm were studied by AFM technique equipped with a hot-stage in real-time. It was found that melting can erase the spherulitic structure for polymer film with high thickness. However, annealing above the melting point can not completely erase the tree-like structure for the thinner polymer film. Generally, the structure formation of thin polymer films of PCL is controlled not only by melting and crystallization but also by dewetting during thermal annealing procedures, and dewetting predominates in the structure formation of ultra-thin films. However, the presence of tree-like morphology at 75 °C may be due to the strong interaction between PCL and mica surface, which may stick the PCL chains onto the mica surface during thermal annealing process. Moreover, the growth of the dendrites was investigated and it was found that crystallization is followed from a dewetted sample, and the branches did not grow with the stems. The crystallization of polymer in the ultra-thin films is a diffusion-controlled process. Both melting and crystallization behaviors of PCL in thin films are influenced by film thickness.     

TRANSESTERIFICATION OF POLY(ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) WITH POLY(ε-CAPROLACTONE)*

Transesterification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was investigated bymeans of NMR spectroscopy, extraction experiments, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and phase contrast microscopy(PCM). The ~1H-NMR results show that transesterification takes place in the melt blends and leads to the formation of thePET-PCL copolyester with a chemical structure similar to ethylene terephthalate-ε-caprolactonc copolycster (TCL)synthesized directly from monomers. However, even in the blend that has been transesterified for 8 h, the random PET-PCLcopolyester, PET-PCL copolyester with long PET or long PCL segments and the unreacted PET and PCL homopolymersmay coexist. Due to the low mobility of PET and PCL chains and the high viscosity of the two macromolecules, thetransesterification proceeds with difficulty. Furthermore, PET is incompatible with PCL, the transesterification can onlyoccur at the interface or in the interfacial region between two phases, and finally the reaction can only reach a localequilibrium. These results indicate that in fact the transesterification in the melt blend between two incompatiblehomopolymers could not lead to the formation of completely random or typical block copolyesters.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLY(AMINO ACID-UREA)S COMPRISING NOVEL TRIBLOCK COPOLYMERS OF POLY(TETRAHYDROFURAN) AND POLY(γ-BENZYL L-GLUTAMATE)S

A kind of novel triblock copolymers of poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)-b-poly(tetrahydrofuran)-b-poly(γ-benzyl L-glutamate)s(PBLG-b-PTHF-b-PBLG)was synthesized by using bis(3-aminopropyl)terminated polytetrahydrofuran to initiate the ring-opening polymerization ofγ-benzyl L-glutamate N-carboxyanhydride(BLG-NCA).The corresponding multiblock poly(amino acid-urea)s were prepared in one-pot protocol from the chain extension of PBLG-b-PTHF-b-PBLG with MDI.The resulting triblock and multiblock copolymers were chara...     

SYNTHESIS OF POLY ( ETHER-URETHANE) CONTAINING PENDANT AMINO GROUP

This paper is concerned with the synthesis of poly (ether-urethane) with pendant amino groups. The copolyether produced by ring opening copolymerization of tetrahydrofuran and epibromohydrin was treated with sodium azide in dimethylformamide to form azido substituted copolyether. The poly (ether-urethane) made from it was subjected to reduction reaction to convert azido group to amino group. The stress-strain behavior and dynamic-mechanical properties of poly (ether-urethane) containing pendant amino groups were studied.     

STUDIES ON THE OXIDATION AND GRAFT COPOLYMERIZATION OF POLY(ETHER-URETHANE)

A new method of graft copolymerization of acrylamide (AAM) on poly(ether-urethane) (PEU) which was prepared from poly(tetramethylene ether) glycol (PTMG), 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and ethylene diamine or butanediol extender was investigated. Hydroperoxide group was first introduced onto the surface of PEU through photo-oxidation in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, then it was reacted with ferrous ion or N,N-dimethyl toluidine (DMT) to initiate AAM graft copolymerization on PEU surface. The graft reaction could be carried out effectively at low temperature. The formation of graft copolymer has been verified by its water absorption % and the scanning electron microscopy photographs. Some model compounds of PEU soft segment and hard segment were synthesized in order to clarify the site of graft reaction. The results of oxida-tion and graft copolymerization of model compounds showed that this graft copolymerization possesses higher selectivity, and it takes place predominately at the polyether segments, because the ether linkage in soft segment is very sensitive to oxidation and can form hydroperoxide easily. Thus, the grafting site appears to be at α-carbon of the ether linkage.     

ELECTROSPRAYING/ELECTROSPINNING OF POLY(γ-STEARYL-L-GLUTAMATE): FORMATION OF SURFACES WITH SUPERHYDROPHOBICITY

  Electrospraying/electrospinning of poly(γ-stearyl-L-glutamate) (PSLG) was investigated on a series solutions with different concentrations in chloroform. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR/ATR) were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the electrosprayed/electrospun polypeptide mats. It was found that electrospraying of PSLG with concentrations lower than 16 wt% afforded beads, while microfibers could be electrospun at the concentration of 22 wt%. The hydrophobicity of the electrosprayed/electrospun PSLG mats was investigated with static water contact angle (WCA) and tilt angle measurements. It was demonstrated that the superhydrophobic surfaces of PSLG with WCAs and tilt angles in the ranges of 150°-170° and 16.5°-4.2°, respectively, were obtained through electrospraying/electrospinning process.     

COMPATIBILITY IN POLYMER BLENDS OF POLY (VINYL ACETATE) AND POLY (METHYL METHACRYLATE)STUDIED BY NMR

Compatibility of poly (vinyl acetate) (PVAc) with poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) mixtures has been studied by using nuclear magnetic relaxation, differential scanning calorimeter and small-angle X-ray scattering techniques. The nuclear magnetic relaxation time T_1's were measured as a function of composition in blends of PMMA and PVAc prepared from chloroform solution. The results show that the system is miscible for casting from chloroform solution.     

CONFORMATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF POLY(ACRYLIC ACID) AND POLY(METHACRYLIC ACID)

A full-relaxation optimization of molecule and the Dreiding force field are employed toobtain the geometry parameters and the conformational energy surfaces of meso or racemicdyad of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA). Three differentcarbonyl-bond orientations of side-groups resulted in the differences in depth of potentialwells in their energetic contours for a meso or a racemic dyad. These discrepancies areinterpreted as a result of various fine structures corresponding to grid search conformationsas well as thereby different interactions. The analysis on the most stable conformationsof PMAA confirmed that the ester groups are nearly perpendicular to the plane definedby the two adjacent skeletal bonds but may possibly change their relative orientations tomeet the requirement of lower energy during the conformational state transition. For eachpolyme, two global energy maps of a meso and a racemic dyad were finally constructedfrom the superposition of energy data for the three kinds of side-group orientations by theBoltzmann factors. From an ensemble average, the proposed scheme with three rotationalisomeric states (RIS) allowed us to access the experimentally unperturbed dimensions ofPAA chain via the configurational statistical mechanics. Although the calculation wasbased on the short-range, local interactions, it was interested to note that the experimentalcharacteristic ratios just fell within the range calculated for atactic chains.     

A STUDY ON POLY (ETHYLENE OXIDE)/POLY(VINYL ACETATE)BLENDS

Melt blends of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(vinyl acetate (PVAc) were prepared andstudied by Torsional Pendulum Analysis (TPA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Two glasstransitions were found in these blends. The lower T_g corresponds to the segmental motion in thepure PEO. The dependence of the position and broadness of the higher T_g on composition of theblends indicates that the two components are compatible in the amorphous phase with micro-hetero-geneity. These T_g values observed from mixed PVAc/PEO phase are much higher than that calculatedfrom Fox equation. The comparison of the blends quenched and annealed from melt implies thatPVAc mixed with PEO at the segmental level on molten state and the deviation of T_g values fromFox equation could be due to variation of the blend's composition by crystallization of part of thePEO component. Further indication that the blends are compatible down to the level of chain segments and thatthere are specific interactions between PVAc and PEO molecules comes from the analysis of FTIRspectra of the blends and the solution of PVA in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether.     

EFFECTS OF L-PHENYLALANINE ON THE RADIATION SYNTHESIS OF POLY(N,N''''-METHYLENEBISACRYLAMIDE-co-4-VINYLPYRIDINE)(MICRO)GELS

The effects of L-phenylalanine(L-Phe)on the synthesis of poly(N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide-co-4-vinylpyridine) (poly(Bis-co-4-VP))(micro)gels by γ-ray irradiation were studied.The addition of L-Phe could not only decrease the gelation dose(D_g)of the synthesis obviously,but also transform the morphology of copolymer from microgel to gel.In addition,the swelling ability of the(micro)gels was also affected in the presence of L-Phe.The decrease of D_g was ascribed to the effect of pH,while the transformation of the morphology was ascribed to the effect of L-Phe on the stability of the poly(Bis-co-4-VP)microgel.Such an effect was confirmed further as compared with the effects of L-alanine,L-glutamic acid,L-arginine,sulfuric acid and aqueous ammonia.     

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NEWLY DESIGNED POLY[DI(ALKYL) VINYLTEREPHTHALATE]S

A series of newly designed monomers of 2-vinylterephthalates (VT) were synthesized. The monomers contain onephenylene group connected with two alkyl groups (carbon number varying from 1 to 6) via ester linkage. Their chemicalstructures were confirmed by mass spectroscopy (MS), ~1-H-NMR, and elemental analysis (EA). The corresponding polymers,poly[di(alkyl) vinylterephthalate]s (PDAVTs), were obtained using convenional free redical polymerization. The polymerswere found to be able to develop inio liquid crystalline phase when the size of the alkyl group in the side-chain increases tobe larger than the ethyl group.     

PREPARATION AND CELL COMPATIBILITY OF FUNCTIONALIZED BIODEGRADABLE POLY(DL-LACTIDE-co-RS-β-MALIC ACID

In order to create a functionalized biodegradable polymer for vascular tissue engineering application,poly(DL- lactide-co-RS-β-malic acid)(PDLLMAc)was synthesized.PDLLMAc was obtained after hydrogenolysis of poly(DL- lactide-co-RS-β-benzyl malolactonate)(PDLLMA),which was from the ring-opening polymerization of DL-lactide(DLLA) and RS-β-benzyl malolactonate(MA)using stannous octoate as catalyst.The copolymers were characterized by ~1H-NMR, FTIR,GPC and DSC.The tensile strength and water uptake of the copolymers were measured.In copolymerization,the proportion of MA in the derived copolymers was lower than that in the feeding dose,a consequence of its lower reactivity. The molecular weight of the copolymers decreased with increasing MA content.The protective benzyl groups were completely removed in hydrogenolysis.The glass transition temperature(T_g)of the protected copolymers decreased with increasing MA content.The mechanical strength test showed that the tensile strength of PDLLMA decreased while elongation increased with MA content increasing,and the tensile strength increased and elongation decreased with increasing malic acid content in PDLLMAc for the formation of hydrogen bonding.The water uptake showed that more hydrophilic malic acid adsorbed more water in PDLLMAc.In order to test the reactivity of functional pendant groups,bioactive RGD peptide was immobilized on the functionalized polymer film surface and smooth muscle cells(SMCs)were cultured on it. The results showed that the functionalized copolymer was biocompatible and could be potentially applied in vascular tissue engineering.     

KINETICS OF NON-ISOTHERMAL CRYSTALLIZATION OF POLY (ETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE) MODIFIED BY POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL)

The non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) modified by poly (ethlene glycol) (PEG) were determined by DSC. The dual linear regression method was used to evaluate the relationship between the reciprocal of t 1/2 ( the half life of crystallization) and the appropriate temperature variable. The parameters such as the activation energy (Ed) for transport, the equilibrium melting temperature (T_m~0),the nucleation parameter (ψ),themaximum crystallization temperature (T_(e, max)), and the kinetic crystallizability (G) for the copolyesters were obtained. The influence of the PEG content in PET chains on the parameters characterizing crystallization kinetics and crystallization thermodynamics was discussed.     

STUDIES ON OPTIC NERVE OF LIPOTES VEXILLIFER——STRUCTURE, FIBER COUNT AND DIAMETER SPECTRUM

Four optic nerves obtained from two Lipotes Vexillifer have been studied with the aidof electron microscope. The fiber diameter spectra of all the four optic nerves are unimodal.The diameters of fibers range from 0.35 to 7.45 μm with the highest frequency at 1.5 μm. Ttest indicates there is no significant difference in fiber density and fiber diameter betweenthe central and peripheral regions of the optic nerve. The ratio of axon diameter to thetotal fiber diameter is 0.6 ± 0.02 (p<0.05). The examination of four optic nerves indicatesa mean count of 78,900 fibers; none of unmyelinated fibers have beer seen. The shapesof the cross sections of fibers are very irregular. The myelin sheaths of some nerve fibers arevery thick while those of some others are thinner.     

PREPARATION OF PERFLUOROOCTANOYL-MODIFIED POLY(VINYL-ALCOHOL)S AND THEIR ADSORPTION AT AN AIR-WATER INTERFACE

Perfluorooctanoyl modified poly(vinyl alcohol)s (FPVA) were prepared by means of substituting a small amountof hydroxyl groups on the backbone of poly(vinyl alcohol), for which the initial degree of polymerization is equal to 1750.The substitution extent, defined by the number of substituting units in a chain, for the four FPVA samples was in the range of0.5-5 perfluorooctanoyl groups per chain. The FPVA samples with the highest substitution extent still had good solubility inwater. It was shown by experimental measurement at 30.0±0.1℃ that the surface tension of the aqueous solution of thehighest substituted FPVA decreased to 16.6 mN/In at a higher concentration, e.g about 0.1 g/mL. Obviously,macromolecules of FPVA exhibit a very strong tendency to adsorb at the air-water interface, because the hydrophobicperfluorooctanoyl groups in FPVA have a very high surface activity as they are in small molecular fluorinated surfactants.The chain conformation of such a model polymer adsorbed on the air-water interface was also discussed.     

STUDIES ON ULTRASONIC GRAFTING OF POLY(VINYL ACETATE) WITH POLY(ETHYLENE OXIDE)

The ultrasonic degradation of poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(vinyl acetate) in benzene solution, and grafting reaction of poly(vinyl acetate) with poly(ethylene oxide) were studied. It is found that the chain-scission reactions follow the course suggested by D. W. Ovenall. The structure of the copolymer was identified by IR, NMR and DTA, showing that the copolymer prepared is a graft copolymer mainly. The copolymer formed by irradiating 1% PEO/PVAc solution (PEO/PVAc:1/1 by weight) for a period of 10 rain at 18.2 kHZ, with 2.0 A input current on reversed main circuit, amounts to 10.5%.     

STUDIES ON ULTRASONIC ABSORPTION AND VISCO-RELAXATION OF POLY (ETHYLENE GLYCOL) AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS

Ultrasonic absorption and velocity measurements were made on aqueous solutions of poly (ethylene glycol)(PEG)of different molecular weights and concentrations, using a pulse sender-receiver ultrasonic generator, Measurements were obtained at a frequency of 2MHz. , and a temperature of 293 K. The results show a linear increase of the Values of velocity, density and viscosity with increase of molecu lar weight and concentration of PEG. On the contrary, the attenuation values decreased with increase of molecular weight and concentration of PEG. A mathematical equation correlating relaxation amplitude and molecular weight of the polymer is suggested. This was applied to calculate the molecular weights of unknown samples of PEG from their measured relaxation amplitude. The results obtained were in good agreement with those obtained from osmometry.     

PREPARATION AND CELL COMPATIBILITY OF FUNCTIONALIZED BIODEGRADABLE POLY(DL-LACTIDE-CO-RS-Β-MALIC ACID)

In order to create a functionalized biodegradable polymer for vascular tissue engineering application,poly(DL- lactide-co-RS-β-malic acid)(PDLLMAc)was synthesized.PDLLMAc was obtained after hydrogenolysis of poly(DL- lactide-co-RS-β-benzyl malolactonate)(PDLLMA),which was from the ring-opening polymerization of DL-lactide(DLLA) and RS-β-benzyl malolactonate(MA)using stannous octoate as catalyst.The copolymers were characterized by ~1H-NMR, FTIR,GPC and DSC.The tensile strength and water uptake of the cop...