In vivo metabolism of polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels has rarely been studied. In this study, we prepared a chemically crosslinked hydrogel formulation using 14C-labeled tetra-armed poly (ethylene glycol) succinimidyl succinate (Tetra-PEG-SS) and 3H-labeled crosslinking agent for implantation into the pelvis of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. This radioactive labeling technique was used to investigate the radioactivity excretion rates in of feces and urine, the blood exposure time curve, and the radioactivity recovery rate in each tissue over time. We showed that the primary excretion route of the hydrogel was via urine (3H: about 86.4%, 14C: about 90.0%), with fewer portion through feces (3H: about 6.922%, 14C: about 8.16%). The hydrogel metabolites exhibited the highest distribution in the kidney, followed by the jejunal contents; The 3H and 14C radioactivity exposures in the remaining tissues were low. We also showed that the 3H and 14C radioactivity recovery rates in the blood were usually low (<0.10% g−1 at 12 h after implantation), even though, in theory, the hydrogel could be absorbed into the blood through the adjacent tissues. By using a combination of HPLC-MS/MS and offline radioactivity counting method, we established that the tetra-PEG-based hydrogel was mainly metabolized to lower-order PEG polymers and other low-molecular-weight substances in vivo.
Keywords: biodistribution; metabolism; radioactive labeling; tetra-PEG-based hydrogel.