Novel Bioadhesive, pH- and Temperature-Sensitive Graft Copolymers for Prolonged Mucosal Drug Delivery

Abstract

In this paper we describe the synthesis of new bioadhesive polymer structures and compositions that have been designed for application as vehicles for prolonged opthalmic drug delivery. The major polymer component in these studies is high molecular weight PAAc, which is a well-known bioadhesive polymer¹. PAAc is often incorporated into a delivery formulation in order to increase the residence time of a drug delivery vehicle in contact with mucosal surfaces. If the residence time of a drug formulation is prolonged by increased adherence to a mucosal surface, such as the eye, then it would also be desirable to slow down the release of the drug, so that it would be delivered over the period of retention of the formulation on the eye surface. In order to accomplish this, we have incorporated a more hydrophobic component, in this case a temperature-sensitive polymer, into the drug formulation.