title: Thermoresponsive degradable poly(ethylene glycol) analogues.
abstract: Thermoresponsive polymers have many biomedical applications, but their nondegradability limits their in vivo applications. Herein, we report a new type of degradable thermoresponsive polymers-degradable poly (ethylene glycol) analogues (DPEGs) having lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) ranging 10-50 degrees C. DPEGs were synthesized by condensation polymerization of PEG-di(meth)acrylates (PEGDA or PEGDMA) with dithiols. Their LCSTs could be easily tuned by the PEG-chain length and the types of the double bond in the PEG monomers and dithiols. Long PEG chain and the presence of hydrophilic groups in the dithiol monomer increased the LCST of the resulting DPEG. Crosslinking DPEG chains produced thermoresponsive hydrogels. The hydrogels prepared by the end-capping method maintained the thermoresponsive properties of the linear DPEG. The degradable thermoresponsive DPEGs and their hydrogels have great potentials for in vivo biomedical applications.
authors.affiliation: Soft Materials Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Anjie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Maciej
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Radosz
authors.forename: Youqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006868:Hydrolysis; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols