Design of Poly(trimethylene carbonate) with Hydrophilic Polymer Chain and its Aggregation Property

Abstract

Poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) shows biodegradability and is currently being utilized in medical devices. In this study, poly(ethylene glycol) monomethyl ether (mPEG) was incorporated into the terminating end of a PTMC molecule. mPEG, which has a hydrophilic segment, was selected as the initiator. Two kinds of mPEG with average molecular weight 5000 g/mol and 350 g/mol was used. The resulting polymer spontaneously aggregated in the organic solvent. The aggregations were quite stable for 2 months at room temperature. The composition, the hydrophilic and hydrophobic segment, was dominant factor to regulate the stability of polymer aggregation. The time to reach complete dissociation was variable, and the stability of the polymer aggregation was more than 1 month. The difference in its stability would depend on its circulation in our body for 2 months because of the difference in its degree of polymerization and composition. Moreover, the drug loading property using the resulting aggregations was examined using Basic Blue17, which is an organic dye and is used as a model substance. We have found that the organic dye was successfully loaded into the aggregations.