Swelling and drug releasing properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) thermo-sensitive copolymer gels

A series of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) copolymer gels with different hydrophilicities were prepared from NIPAAm, hydrophilic acrylamide (AAm) and hydrophobic butyl methacrylate (BMA). The swelling and thermo-responsive properties of PNIPAAm P (NIPAm-co-BMA) and P(NIPAm-co-AAm) copolymer hydrogels were investigated. The drug loading and releasing behaviors for two kinds of model drug with different hydrophilicities were studied. The result shows that the copolymer gels present negative thermo-sensitivities. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST), equilibrium swelling degree and the initial swelling rate increase as the hydrophilicity of gels increases when the temperature is below the LCST. With increasing gel hydrophilicity the loading ratio for sodium salicylate increases, while for salicylic acid, the reverse is observed. The initial drug releasing rate of sodium salicylate and salicylic acid also increase with increasing gel hydrophilicity. The initial drug releasing rate of sodium salicylate is significantly higher than that of salicylic acid. For salicylic acid which is less hydrophilic, the equilibrium releasing ratio at high temperature is lower than that at low temperature while for sodium salicylate which is more hydrophilic, the equilibrium releasing ratio at high temperature is almost the same as that at low temperature. Equilibrium releasing ratios of the three gels are significantly different from each other for salicylic acid when the temperature is below LCST while the equilibrium releasing ratios of the three gels are all 100% for sodium salicylate. __________ Translated from Journal of Central South University (Science and Technology), 2007, 38(5): 906–911 [译自: 中南大学学报(自然科学版)]     

Water flow in poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

Friction between a polymer network of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels and solvent water was investigated. The gel was mechanically constrained in a glass capillary at gelation, and hydrostatic pressure was directly applied to the cross section of the cylinder. The temperature dependence of the flow velocity was extensively measured in the vicinity of the transition temperature for gels with different lengths, l(0), at gelation. As the temperature increased, the friction slightly decreased at the transition point and increased rapidly in the collapsed phase. Although the flow velocity depended on l(0), the friction in the vicinity of the transition point was well scaled by l(0) based on the Hagen-Poiseuille equation for the flux of water flow in a capillary. The results suggested that the assumption that the gel is a bundle of microcapillaries was applicable to the water flow through the hydrogel, which was largely deformed not only by the pressure applied to the solvent but also by the shrinking force caused by the temperature increment. Macroscopic deformation did not affect the friction between the three-dimensional polymer network and water.     

Sustained drug release on temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-integrated hydroxyapatite

A hybrid temperature-responsive hydroxyapatite-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (HAP-PNIPAAm) gel has been synthesized by the interpenetration of PNIPAAm into a sintered HAP disk through a radical-initiated polymerization of NIPAAm monomers under N2 atmosphere, and shows sustained positive thermo-responsive drug release profile over a month at PBS buffer.     

Swelling and deswelling kinetics of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

Swelling and deswelling kinetics was investigated for three types of cylindrical poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) gels differing in crosslink density. The temperature dependence curves of the volume of the gel specimens were different from one another. One of the gel specimens was considered as a critical gel showing the continuous volume phase transition. The volume change process of the specimens after a temperature jump was examined. In the deswelling processes with temperature jumps to temperatures higher than 35 degrees C, a phase separation was observed in the gel specimens and the volume change slowed down due to the homogenization after the phase separation. The value of the diffusion constant obtained without the phase separation decreased rapidly as temperature approaches the transition temperature. The rapid decrease for the critical gel indicates the emergence of the critical slowing-down. The value of the critical exponent for the correlation length suggests that the universality class for the volume phase transition of the critical PNIPA gel belongs to the class for the classical theory.     

Preparation and characterization of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-modified poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate) hydrogels by interpenetrating polymer networks for sustained drug release

In order to investigate the influence of hydrophobic moieties formed by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) in a hydrogel matrix on the release behavior of the hydrogel, a series of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm)-modified poly(2-hydroxyethyl acrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (P(HEA-co-HEMA)) via interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) were prepared by a sequential UV solution polymerization. Interestingly, it was found that P(HEA-co-HEMA)/PNIPAm IPN indicated a single glass transition temperature (T(g)) and the T(g)s of the IPNs increased with an increase in the PNIPAm component. This phenomenon may be attributed to hydrogen bonding between the two polymer networks, but the hydrogen bonding exerts less influence on the swelling behavior of the IPNs, due to the fact that IPNs can respond to changes in temperature like PNIPAm. Using 2-[(diphenylmethyl)sulphiny]acetamide (modafinil, MOD) and p-hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) as model drug compounds, the release behavior of the IPNs was studied at body temperature, and it was found that the presence of PNIPAm could retard drug release regardless of the solubility of the drugs. Release profiles of HBA from the IPNs and their component samples as a function of time at 37 degrees C.     

Anticancer drug release from poly(N-isopropylacrylamide/itaconic acid) copolymeric hydrogels

The drug uptake and release of anticancer drug from N-isopropylacrylamide/itaconic acid copolymeric hydrogels containing 0–3 mol% of itaconic acid irradiated at 48 kGy have been investigated. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is used as a model anticancer drug. The effect of 5-FU solution on swelling characteristics of PNIPAAm and P(NIPAAm/IA) copolymeric hydrogels have also been studied. The percent swelling, equilibrium swelling, equilibrium water/5-FU content and diffusion constant values are evaluated for poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide/itaconic) (P(NIPAAm/IA)) hydrogels at 130 ppm of 5-FU solution at room temperature. Diffusion of 5-FU solution into the hydrogels has been found to be the non-Fickian type. Finally, the kinetics of drug release from the hydrogels are examined.     

Stimulus-responsiveness and drug release from porous silicon films ATRP-grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)

In this report, we employ surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) to graft a thermoresponsive polymer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM), of controlled thickness from porous silicon (pSi) films to produce a stimulus-responsive inorganic-organic composite material. The optical properties of this material are studied using interferometric reflectance spectroscopy (IRS) above and below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the PNIPAM graft polymer with regard to variation of pore sizes and thickness of the pSi layer (using discrete samples and pSi gradients) and also the thickness of the PNIPAM coatings. Our investigations of the composite's thermal switching properties show that pore size, pSi layer thickness, and PNIPAM coating thickness critically influence the material's thermoresponsiveness. This composite material has considerable potential for a range of applications including temperature sensors and feedback controlled drug release. Indeed, we demonstrate that modulation of the temperature around the LCST significantly alters the rate of release of the fluorescent anticancer drug camptothecin from the pSi-PNIPAM composite films.     

Preparation of thermosensitive polymeric organogels and their drug release behaviors

Stimuli-sensitive drug delivery systems—in particular, stimuli-sensitive polymeric hydrogels swollen with water—have attracted considerable attention in medical and pharmaceutical fields. This study concerns with the synthesis of thermosensitive polymeric organogels for controlled drug release; a copolymerization of stearyl acrylate (SA) with a cross-linker and the loading of indomethacin as a model lipophilic drug were accomplished in oleyl alcohol. The pulsatile (on-off) drug release was successfully conducted: release was halted at 36 °C and release occurred at over ca. 40 °C. This drug release pattern is suitable for thermochemotherapy combined with hyperthermia. The differential scanning calorimetric measurement suggests the following mechanism: the ordered crystalline structure, i.e., the alignment of hydrophobic alkyl side chains, works to prevent indomethacin diffusion from the organogel below the crystallization temperature, while the disordered amorphous structure above the melting temperature allows indomethacin to diffuse.     

Surface friction of thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels in water

In this paper, we report the experimental results of surface friction between thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels in water. The static friction force was found to depend on the waiting period prior to slider movement after contact between gel surfaces, which was a result of two relaxation mechanisms: the stress decay process due to macroscopic deformation under a normal load and the microscopic conformational change in the real contact area of polymer networks. The sliding velocity and the normal load dependence of the kinetic friction force were extensively measured. The results suggested that the following two mechanisms depended on the sliding velocity: the friction force generated by direct contact of the solid-like behavior and the viscous resistance of the liquid-like behavior. The strong temperature dependence of kinetic friction was observed, which was a result of a change in the balance between hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions. The experimental results are discussed in terms of the multi-asperity contacts between the swollen gel/gel interfaces (solid friction, depending on the waiting period) and the viscous resistance and lubricating effect between the gel/water interfaces (fluid friction, depending on the sliding velocity).     

Swelling of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels in water-aprotic solvent mixtures

The swelling volume of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) gel in aprotic solvents (acetonitrile (AcN)-, tetrahydrofuran (THF)-, 1,4-dioxane (DO)- and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO))-water mixtures was measured at 25°C. The gel swollen in water shrank first and then reswelled with addition of the aprotic solvents. At an intermediate mole fraction (XDMSO) range of DMSO-water mixtures, the gel demonstrated a reentrant swelling phenomenon the hydrated gel shrank first on addition of a small amount of solvent, showed a typical wide reentrant transition, and gradually reswelled in the range near pure solvent. On the other hand, the gels in AcN-, THF-, and DO-water mixtures demonstrated a reentrant-convex swelling phenomenon: the gels reswelled after a reentrant phase transition in low Xorg (XAcN, XTHF and XDO), showed a maximum swelling in the intermediate Xorg region, and shrank again gradually in the high Xorg region. Such a swelling behavior of the gel was interpreted by correlating with solution properties of the aqueous aprotic solvent mixtures.The strength of hydrogen bonding around amide groups of the homopolymer was examined in pure solvents (water, THF, and DMSO) and in all proportion of aqueous THF to observe the relation with swelling behavior of gel by spectrum analysis of the amide I and II bands of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR). The swelling properties of gels in solvents and the aqueous mixtures were well correlated with the peak shifts of amide groups of the homopolymer.     

Fluorescence studies on volume phase transition in poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels

The changes in microenvironments during the volume phase transition of poly(acrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gels induced by pH change or the change in solvent composition were studied by using dansyl or pyrenyl fluorescent probes.     

Thermosensitive pickering emulsion stabilized by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-carrying particles

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)-carrying particles were characterized as thermosensitive Pickering emulsifiers. Emulsions were prepared from various oils, such as heptane, hexadecane, trichloroethylene, and toluene, with PNIPAM-carrying particles. PNIPAM-carrying particles preferentially formed oil-in-water (O/W)-type emulsions with a variety of oils. All the emulsions stabilized by PNIPAM-carrying particles were stable for more than 3 months as long as they were stored at room temperature. However, when the emulsions were heated from room temperature to 40 degrees C, at which point the PNIPAM layer caused a coil-to-globule transition, phase separation occurred. Thus, by using thermosensitive PNIPAM-carrying particles as emulsifiers, the stability of the Pickering emulsions could be controlled by a slight change in temperature.     

Thermal analyses of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in aqueous solutions and in nanocomposite gels

The coil-to-globule transition of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) prepared by free-radical redox polymerization in aqueous solutions and its nanocomposite (NC) gels were investigated by differential scanning calorimetery. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) of aqueous solutions of PNIPA of different molecular weights were not significantly affected by molecular weight (M _w: 0.19?×?10⁶?4.29?×?10⁶?g?×?mol^?1) or polymer concentration (1?10?wt%), although the enthalpy of transition increased with molecular weight, at M _w (<1.2?×?10⁶ g?×?mol^?1). The glass-transition temperature of PNIPA in the dried state also remained constant (138?°C), regardless of molecular weight. On the other hand, the enthalpy of the coil-to-globule transition of PNIPA in NC gels consisting of a PNIPA/clay network decreased with increasing clay concentration (C _clay), while the onset temperature (≡LCST) was almost constant, regardless of C _clay. The PNIPA chains in NC gels could be classified into the following three types: P-1, which exhibits a normal LCST transition, similar to that of linear PNIPA; P-2, exhibiting restricted transition at higher temperatures as a result of interactions with the clay; and P-3, which does not undergo that transition because of stronger restrictions. It was found that the proportion of P-3 increases with increasing C _clay. However, some P-1 and P-2 was still observed, even in NC gels with high C _clay. That the transition to the hydrophobic globular state was restricted by interactions with the clay was confirmed by measurements on PNIPA after removal of the clay from NC gels.     

温敏性PNIPAAm水凝胶对布洛芬的控制释放

采用自由基聚合法在水溶液中制备了温敏水凝胶聚N-异丙基丙烯酰胺(PNIPAAm),以非水溶性药物布洛芬(IBU)为模型药物分子,研究了该水凝胶的温敏性能及与药物IBU的相互作用,考察了不同温度下(25 ℃和37 ℃)IBU在磷酸盐缓冲溶液(PBS,pH=7.4)中的释放行为.研究结果表明:该水凝胶的最低临界溶解温度(L...     

Preparation of filled temperature-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel beads

Temperature-sensitive filled poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) gel beads with diameters in the range of millimeters were prepared using the alginate technique. The polymerization and cross-linking reaction of NIPAAm in the presence of inorganic filling particles was performed in spherical networks of Ca-alginate forming interpenetrating networks (IPN). Thermo-sensitive gel beads could be obtained by washing these IPN with EDTA solution. The PNIPAAm gel beads were analyzed by optical methods to observe there swollen diameter in dependence on the temperature. The diameters of the swollen gel beads were in the range of 0.1 - 2 mm. The influence of the monomer to cross-linker ratio (MCR) and the filling materials (ferrofluid, BaTiO₃, TiO₂, and Ni,) were studied. The phase transition temperature (T_pt) was only weakly influenced by the MCR and the filling material remaining at around 34°C.     

Preparation of monodisperse thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hollow microcapsules

We successfully developed a novel and simple method for preparation of monodisperse thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hollow microcapsules at the interface of water-in-oil (W/O) single emulsions at a temperature below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of PNIPAM. The prepared PNIPAM microcapsules are featured with hollow structures and thin membranes, high monodispersity, excellent reversible thermo-sensitivity and fast response to environmental temperature. This approach exhibits great interests in preparing monodisperse thermo-sensitive microcapsules for encapsulating bioactive materials or drugs requiring mild encapsulation conditions, because of the flexibility in choosing substances being dissolved in the aqueous phase. The preparation methodology demonstrated in this study provides a unique approach for preparing monodisperse hollow polymeric microcapsules with W/O single emulsions.     

Rapid and precise release from nano-tracted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels containing linear poly(acrylic acid)

We investigated the rapid and precise molecular release from hydrogels in response to dual stimuli. To achieve precise on/off drug release using thermoresponsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogels, we prepared nano-structured semi-IPNs, which consisted of thermosensitive PNIPAAm networks penetrated by pH-responsive poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) linear chains and perforated to create nano-tracts as a molecular pathway. The present nano-tracted semi-IPNs show a rapid deswelling response to both temperature and pH. Model drug releases were investigated when simultaneous changes in temperature and pH were applied. We observed that the cationic drug was rapidly released and then abruptly discontinued from the nano-tracted semi-IPNs in response to the dual stimuli, and clear release and stopping cycles were repeatedly observed on successive steps. Moreover, the release rates and amount of drug released were controllable by the deswelling speed of the gels and the PAAc content inside the gels. This novel release system using the nano-tracted semi-IPNs may be useful for the high performance, pulsed release of molecules.     

Preparation of initiator and cross-linker-free poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) nanogels by photopolymerization

Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or PNIPAm nanogels with diameter of 50–200 nm were prepared from N-isopropylacrylamide monomer by photopolymerization in the absence of initiator, cross-linker and surfactant. Morphology transition of the nanogels from branch to compact, global one was tuned with NIPAm(N-isopropylacrylamide) concentration in reaction. Reaction mechanism of the nanogels formation was proposed. The yield of prepared nanogels can increased from ca. 20 up to 86% when solution pH varied from neutral to 2. ESR signals confirmed that the existence of H⁺ in reaction could accelerate the polymerization of NIPAm.     

Poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/poly (ethylene oxide) blend nanofibrous scaffolds: thermo-responsive carrier for controlled drug release

A facile electrospinning method has been utilized to fabricate poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM)/poly (ethylene oxide) (PEO) blend nanofibers having the mean fiber diameters from approximately 250 to 380 nm. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the morphology and diameter distribution of the nanofibrous scaffolds can be easily modulated by changing the weight ratio of PNIPAM/PEO in electrospinning solution. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) demonstrated that there were interactions between the molecules of PNIPAM and PEO. Vitamin B12 was chosen as a hydrophilic model drug for in situ encapsulation in PNIPAM/PEO blend nanofibrous scaffolds. The rate of drug release can be controlled by adjusting the weight ratio of PNIPAM/PEO, the temperature of release medium and the drug loading amount. It is suggested that the blend nanofibrous scaffold could be used as a new thermo-responsive matrix for the entrapment and controlled release of drugs.