Poly(amino carbonate urethane)-based biodegradable, temperature and pH-sensitive injectable hydrogels for sustained human growth hormone delivery

Sci Rep. 2016 Jul 20:6:29978. doi: 10.1038/srep29978.

Abstract

In this study, a new pH-/temperature-sensitive, biocompatible, biodegradable, and injectable hydrogel based on poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(amino carbonate urethane) (PEG-PACU) copolymers has been developed for the sustained delivery of human growth hormone (hGH). In aqueous solutions, PEG-PACU-based copolymers existed as sols at low pH and temperature (pH 6.0, 23 °C), whereas they formed gels in the physiological condition (pH 7.4, 37 °C). The physicochemical characteristics, including gelation rate, mechanical strength and viscosity, of the PEG-PACU hydrogels could be finely tuned by varying the polymer weight, pH and temperature of the copolymer. An in vivo injectable study in the back of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats indicated that the copolymer could form an in situ gel, which exhibited a homogenous porous structure. In addition, an in vivo biodegradation study of the PEG-PACU hydrogels showed controlled degradation of the gel matrix without inflammation at the injection site and the surrounding tissue. The hGH-loaded PEG-PACU copolymer solution readily formed a hydrogel in SD rats, which subsequently inhibited the initial hGH burst and led to the sustained release of hGH. Overall, the PEG-PACU-based copolymers prepared in this study are expected to be useful biomaterials for the sustained delivery of hGH.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biocompatible Materials* / chemical synthesis
  • Biocompatible Materials* / chemistry
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Carriers*
  • Drug Liberation
  • Drug Stability
  • Human Growth Hormone / administration & dosage*
  • Humans
  • Hydrogels* / chemistry
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration*
  • Male
  • Materials Testing
  • Phase Transition
  • Polyethylene Glycols / chemistry
  • Polyurethanes* / chemical synthesis
  • Polyurethanes* / chemistry
  • Rats
  • Temperature*

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Drug Carriers
  • Hydrogels
  • Polyurethanes
  • Human Growth Hormone
  • Polyethylene Glycols