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Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance

Axioti, Eleni; Dixon, Emily G.; Reynolds-Green, Morgan; Alexander, Euan C.H.; Brugnoli, Benedetta; Keddie, Daniel J.; Couturaud, Benoit; Suksiriworapong, Jiraphong; Swainson, Sadie M.E.; Francolini, Iolanda; Howdle, Steven M.; Jacob, Philippa L.; Cavanagh, Robert J.; Chauhan, Veeren M.; Taresco, Vincenzo

Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance Thumbnail


Authors

Eleni Axioti

Emily G. Dixon

Morgan Reynolds-Green

Euan C.H. Alexander

Benedetta Brugnoli

Dr DANIEL KEDDIE Daniel.Keddie@nottingham.ac.uk
Senior Research Officer in Polymer Synthesis

Benoit Couturaud

Jiraphong Suksiriworapong

Sadie M.E. Swainson

Iolanda Francolini

Philippa L. Jacob



Abstract

Despite the success of polyethylene glycol-based (PEGylated) polyesters in the drug delivery and biomedical fields, concerns have arisen regarding PEG's immunogenicity and limited biodegradability. In addition, inherent limitations, including limited chemical handles as well as highly hydrophobic nature, can restrict their effectiveness in physiological conditions of the polyester counterpart. To address these matters, an increasing amount of research has been focused towards identifying alternatives to PEG. One promising strategy involves the use of bio-derived polyols, such as glycerol. In particular, glycerol is a hydrophilic, non-toxic, untapped waste resource and as other polyols, can be incorporated into polyesters via enzymatic catalysis routes.

In the present study, a systematic screening is conducted focusing on the incorporation of 1,6-hexanediol (Hex) (hydrophobic diol) into both poly(glycerol adipate) (PGA) and poly(diglycerol adipate) (PDGA) at different (di)glycerol:hex ratios (30:70; 50:50 and 70:30 mol/mol) and its effect on purification upon NPs formation. By varying the amphiphilicity of the backbone, we demonstrated that minor adjustments influence the NPs formation, NPs stability, drug encapsulation, and degradation of these polymers, despite the high chemical similarity. Moreover, the best performing materials have shown good biocompatibility in both in vitro and in vivo (whole organism) tests. As preliminary result, the sample containing diglycerol and Hex in a 70:30 ratio, named as PDGA-Hex 30%, has shown to be the most promising candidate in this small library analysed. It demonstrated comparable stability to the glycerol-based samples in various media but exhibited superior encapsulation efficiency of a model hydrophobic dye. This in-depth investigation provides new insights into the design and modification of biodegradable (di)glycerol-based polyesters, potentially paving the way for more effective and sustainable PEG-free drug delivery nano-systems in the pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.

Citation

Axioti, E., Dixon, E. G., Reynolds-Green, M., Alexander, E. C., Brugnoli, B., Keddie, D. J., Couturaud, B., Suksiriworapong, J., Swainson, S. M., Francolini, I., Howdle, S. M., Jacob, P. L., Cavanagh, R. J., Chauhan, V. M., & Taresco, V. (2024). Glycerol- and diglycerol-based polyesters: Evaluation of backbone alterations upon nano-formulation performance. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 236, Article 113828. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113828

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Feb 27, 2024
Online Publication Date Feb 28, 2024
Publication Date 2024-04
Deposit Date Mar 5, 2024
Publicly Available Date Mar 12, 2024
Journal Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces
Print ISSN 0927-7765
Electronic ISSN 1873-4367
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 236
Article Number 113828
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2024.113828
Keywords Colloid and Surface Chemistry; Physical and Theoretical Chemistry; Surfaces and Interfaces; General Medicine; Biotechnology
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/31898893
Publisher URL https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927776524000869?via%3Dihub

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