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Effect of pharmaceuticals on thermoreversible gelation of PEO–PPO–PEO copolymers
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Effect of pharmaceuticals on thermoreversible gelation of PEO–PPO–PEO copolymers

Praveen K. Sharma, Meghan J. Reilly, Sujata K. Bhatia, Neda Sakhitab, Jeffrey D. Archambault and Surita R. Bhatia
Colloids and surfaces, B, Biointerfaces, v 63(2), pp 229-235
01 Jun 2008
PMID: 18249098

Abstract

Controlled release Drug delivery Gelation Pluronic F127 Thermoreversible
Pluronic F127, a triblock copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), has generated considerable interest as a drug delivery vehicle due to its ability to gel at physiological temperatures. This work examines the gelation behavior of Pluronic F127 in the presence of a series of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals, to determine whether there is any correlation between gelation and physicochemical parameters of drug solutes. The study includes the local anesthetics dibucaine, lidocaine, and tetracaine; the pharmaceutical additives methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, and propyl paraben; the anti-cancer agents paclitaxel and baccatin III; and the anti-inflammatory agent sulindac. The results indicate that the presence of local anesthetics and pharmaceutical additives allows F127 solutions to form gels at lower copolymer concentrations; local anesthetics and pharmaceutical additives also shift gelation down to a lower gelation temperature. This behavior is strongly dependent on drug solubility; poorly soluble drugs (paclitaxel, baccatin III, sulindac) do not change the lower gelation temperature or minimum F127 concentration for gelation. An equation relating the decrease in gelation temperature to drug solubility is presented, and the equation fits the data well. The results have significant positive implications on the toxicity and economic issues related to use of Pluronic F127 in drug delivery.

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Collaboration types
Industry collaboration
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Biophysics
Chemistry, Physical
Materials Science, Biomaterials
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