(165r) Erosion Studies of Poly(sebacic acid and lactic acid) Copolymeric Drug Delivery Vehicles

The drug release profiles are dependent on the polymer composition and the size of the biodegradable drug delivery devices. The degradation of the nano carriers directly influences the amount of drug released to the target site from the drug encapsulated polymeric carrier. By altering the polymer composition and the size of the nanoparticles, drug release profiles ranging from weeks to months can be achieved. Moreover, the shape and size of the nanoparticles affect the immune response and the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. So, in this study, we examine and optimized the two particle synthesis methods – Nanoprecipitation and Emulsion techniques to synthesize particles of different sizes. 100:0, 80:20,50:50 20:80 and 0:100 of SA:LA random copolymers are synthesized, and drug delivery vehicles are prepared using above mentioned particle synthesis methods. The strikingly complex factors governing the degradation process of the SA:LA nano particles were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy before and after degradation process. Similarly, particle size of the copolymers synthesized by both methods was monitored using SEM after the particle synthesis and during the degradation process.