Tailoring the degradation rate and release kinetics from poly(galactitol sebacate) by blending with chitosan, alginate or ethyl cellulose

Abstract

Despite significant advances in recent times, the investigation of discovering a perfect biomaterial is perennial. In this backdrop, blending of natural and synthetic polymers is gaining popularity since it is the easiest way to complement the drawbacks and attain a superlative material. Based on this, the objective of this study was to synthesize a novel polyester, poly(galactitol sebacate), and subsequently blend this polymer with one of the three natural polymers such as alginate, chitosan or ethyl cellulose. FT-IR showed the presence of both the polymers in the blends. 1H NMR confirmed the chemical structure of the synthesized poly (galactitol sebacate). Thermal characterization was performed by DSC revealing that the polymers were amorphous in nature and the glass transition temperatures increased with the increase in ratio of the natural polymers in the blends. SEM imaging showed that the blends were predominantly homogeneous. Contact angle measurements demonstrated that the blending imparted the hydrophilic nature into poly (galactitol sebacate) when blending with alginate or chitosan and hydrophobic when blending with ethyl cellulose. In vitro hydrolytic degradation studies and dye release studies indicated that the polymers became more hydrophilic in alginate and chitosan blends and thus accelerated the degradation and release process. The reverse trend was observed in the case of ethyl cellulose blends. Modeling elucidated that the degradation and dye release followed first order kinetics and Higuchi kinetics, respectively. In vitro cell studies confirmed the cytocompatible nature of the blends. It can be proposed that the chosen natural polymers for blending showed wide variations in hydrophilicity resulting in tailored degradation, release and cytocompatibility properties and thus are promising candidates for use in drug delivery and tissue engineering.