title: The effect of initial polymer morphology on the degradation and drug release from polyglycolide.
abstract: Polyglycolide is a degradable polyester which has been proposed for use as a matrix for controlled drug release. This paper assesses the effects of the initial morphology of the polymer on its behaviour during hydrolytic degradation. The initial morphology does not have a dramatic effect on the progress of degradation, the levels of crystallinity attained during the early stages of degradation being independent of the initial morphology. A sudden increase in both the mass loss and water uptake of the samples occurs after 10 days regardless of the initial morphology, and this is attributed to the formation of a porous surface layer, which occurs when the polymer matrix reaches a critical molecular weight. However, the initial morphology does affect the release profiles of a model drug, theophylline, from the matrices. Samples with a higher initial crystallinity release more drug at earlier stages of the degradation. This is probably due to a partitioning of drug molecules to the surfaces and an increase in the concentration of drug in the amorphous phase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hurrell
authors.forename: Ruth E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Cameron
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D003460:Crystallization; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D004355:Drug Stability; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D013806:Theophylline / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D013806:Theophylline