Preparation of Biodegradable Microspheres Useful as Carriers for Macromolecules

A method for preparing biodegradable microspheres having a three-dimensional network in which biologically active macromolecular agents are physically entrapped therein. The microsphere is able to degrade and release the macromolecular agent at a controlled rate. The method involves emulsifying a vinyl derivative of a biodegradable hydrophilic polymer, a water-soluble monovinyl monomer and a biologically active macromolecule in water, and copolymerizing the biodegradable hydrophilic polymer and the water-soluble monovinyl monomer such that the biologically active macromolecule is entrapped therein

Biodegradable Microspheres as a Carrier for Macromolecules

A method for preparing biodegradable microspheres having a three-dimensional network in which biologically active macromolecular agents are physically entrapped therein. The microsphere is able to degrade and release the macromolecular agent at a controlled rate. The method involves emulsifying a vinyl derivative of a biodegradable hydrophilic polymer, a water-soluble monovinyl monomer and a biologically active macromolecule in water, and copolymerizing the biodegradable hydrophilic polymer and the water-soluble monovinyl monomer such that the biologically active macromolecule is entrapped therein

Polymer Bound Elastase Inhibitors

Pharmaceutical compositions and methods of inhibiting the enzyme elastase and increasing the biological half-life and/or potency in terms of inhibitory activity of the enzyme elastase of peptide compounds is achieved by use of a polymer of the formula P--(L--R)q wherein P is a polymer containing at least one unit of the formula (An Bn) wherein An Bn is substantially nonbiodegradable, and has an average molecular weight of about 1,000 to 5,000 daltons, L is a covalent bond or a linker group and R is a peptide

Poly( amino acid)-based fibrous scaffolds modified with surface-pendant peptides for cartilage tissue engineering

In this study, fibrous scaffolds based on poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) (PBLG) were investigated in terms of the chondrogenic differentiation potential of human tooth germ stem cells (HTGSCs). Through the solution-assisted bonding of the fibres, fully connected scaffolds with pore sizes in the range 20-400 mu m were prepared. Biomimetic modification of the PBLG scaffolds was achieved by a two-step reaction procedure: first, aminolysis of the PBLG fibres' surface layers was performed, which resulted in an increase in the hydrophilicity of the fibrous scaffolds after the introduction of N-5-hydroxyethyl-L-glutamine units; and second, modification with the short peptide sequence azidopentanoyl-GGGRGDSGGGY-NH2, using the 'click' reaction on the previously modified scaffold with 2-propynylside-chains, was performed. Radio-assay of the I-125-labelled peptide was used to evaluate the RGD density in the fibrous scaffolds ( which varied in the range 10(-3) -10 pM/cm(2)). All the PBLG scaffolds, especially with density 90 +/- 20 fM/cm(2) and 200 +/- 100 fM/cm(2) RGD, were found to be potentially suitable for growth and chondrogenic differentiation of HTGSCs. Copyright (C) 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd