During the last decades, polymeric materials (natural and synthetic) have obtained growing interest in academic and industrial field, as controlled drug delivery systems. Materials based on poly(alkylmethacrylates) have high biocompatibility and good versatility, because of their chemical-physical properties. The large number of acrylic and methacrylic monomers commercially available allows obtaining a variety of final materials that can be employed in different areas, including the biomedical one.
Atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) is a method for controlled/"living" radical polymerization; it provides a very efficient method for the synthesis of various polymers and copolymers with controlled molecular weight and polidispersity and well-defined composition, functionality, and architecture.
The research activity concerns the synthesis by ATRP of different series of random and block copolymers, based on alkyl methacryate monomers, with different compositions in order to find the best hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio, which ensure optimal kinetic release of drug. Copolymers are characterized by SEC, NMR and DSC. Films of copolymers with different compositions and percentage of co-monomers are loaded with drugs. The drug release from polymeric films is monitored by HPLC analysis.
In our recent studies, we paid attention on diseases of the posterior eye, like macular edema, infection and neovascularization, which may cause visual impairment. We identified the block copolymer that shows the best release profile to achieve the therapeutic reference dose for a three months period.
ATRP being a method to obtain macromolecular structures with different architectures represents a good strategy to prepare block copolymers suitable to modulate the release of diverse drugs, hydrophilic or hydrophobic. Changing the nature of the monomers, their sequence and / or the number of the blocks in the synthesis by ATRP it is possible to control the drug release period, in according to its hydrophilicity / hydrophobicity nature.
People to contact: Paola Rizzarelli
Progetto PON01 00074 PON 2007-2013 "Dispositivi ad alto contenuto tecnologico per il settore biomedicale (DIATEME)."
Finanziato nell'ambito del Programma Operativo Nazionale "Ricerca e Competitività" PON R&C 2007-2013 per le Regioni della Convergenza
Avviso 18/01/2010. (15/09/2011-15/09/2014)