Abstract
A novel and promising hydrogel drug delivery system (DDS) capable of releasing 5‑fluorouracil (5-FU) in a prolonged and controlled manner was obtained using ε‑caprolactone‑poly(ethylene glycol) (CL-PEG) or rac‑lactide-poly(ethylene glycol) (rac‑LA-PEG) copolymers. Copolymers were synthesized via the ring-opening polymerization (ROP) process of cyclic monomers, ε‑caprolactone (CL) or rac-lactide (rac-LA), in the presence of zirconium(IV) octoate (Zr(Oct)4) and poly(ethylene glycol) 200 (PEG 200) as catalyst and initiator, respectively. Obtained triblock copolymers were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) techniques; the structure and tacticity of the macromolecules were determined. The relationship between the copolymer structure and the reaction conditions was evaluated. The optimal conditions were specified as 140 °C and 24 h. In the next step, CL-PEG and rac-LA-PEG copolymers were chemically crosslinked using hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). Selected hydrogels were subjected to in vitro antitumor drug release studies, and the release data were analyzed using zero-order, first-order, and Korsmeyer-Peppas mathematical models. Controlled and prolonged (up to 432 h) 5-FU release profiles were observed for all examined hydrogels with first-order or zero-order kinetics. The drug release mechanism was generally denoted as non-Fickian transport.
Highlights
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Tumors are the diseases that have most affected human health in recent years
We report the synthesis of novel hydrogels as potential carriers of a hydrophilic antitumor agent; 5-FU has been used as a model drug
The hydrogels were obtained from caprolactonepoly(ethylene glycol) (CL-PEG) or rac-LA-PEG copolymers and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) as a crosslinking agent
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Tumors are the diseases that have most affected human health in recent years. According to WHO statistics, cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide and is responsible for an estimated 9.6 million deaths in 2018. Approximately one in six deaths is due to cancer. The number of people who died from tumors has risen significantly. It is possibly due to an aging population and changes in the living environment and daily habits. The most common cancers are lung, breast, colorectal, prostate, skin cancer (non-melanoma), and stomach. The most common causes of cancer death are: lung, colorectal, stomach, liver, and breast cancers [1]
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