Chandrashekhar P. Pathak

Interfacial photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels upon alginate-poly(L-lysine) microcapsules for enhanced biocompatibility.

The biocompatibility of microcapsules made by the co-acervation of alginate and poly(l-lysine) (PLL) was enhanced by coating the surface of these microcapsules with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogel. The hydrogel was formed by an interfacial photopolymerization technique using visible light from an argon ion laser. The light absorbing chromophore, eosin Y, was immobilized on the microcapsule surface. This restricted the formation of the PEG hydrogel to the surface of the microcapsule. The presence of the PEG gel on the surface was confirmed by fluorescent dextran entrapment, by direct visualization after dissolution of the underlying membrane and by electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis. The biological response of such microcapsules was evaluated by intraperitoneal implantation in mice. The PEG-coated microcapsules were found to be less inflammatory and were seen not to elicit a fibrotic response, as was the case with alginate-PLL microcapsules.

Polyimide-polyethylene glycol block copolymers: synthesis, characterization, and initial evaluation as a biomaterial

Block copolyimides with varying amounts of polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized and characterized by copolymerization of diaminodiphenyl ether (DDE), amino terminated PEG, and benzophenone tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (BTDA). Strong materials were obtained, with enhanced flexibility as compared to the parent DDE-BTDA polyimide homopolymer. Incorporation of PEG led to an increase in water absorption by these copolymers, and hydrophilicity was increased as reflected by a decrease in air-water-polymer contact angle. These materials supported less cell adhesion in vitro than the parent polyimide homopolymer. Short term in vivo evaluation of these copolymers showed reduced fibrous encapsulation than was observed in the absence of PEG.