2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
Partitioning Behavior of Low-Risk Drugs in Poly(ethylene-oxide)-Block-Poly(?-caprolactone) Copolymer Films
Poly(ethylene-oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEO-b-PCL) is a copolymer that has been researched for a variety of medical applications including drug delivery. Understanding how drugs segregate within the amphiphilic PEO-b-PCL matrix is crucial for interpreting release profiles and developing effective drug delivery systems. This study investigated the partitioning behavior of four low-risk drugs with varying solubilities, caffeine, ibuprofen, aspirin, and acetaminophen, through analysis of changes in physical properties. Polymer films were created using the solvent-casting method, where both the polymer and drug were dissolved in chloroform, cast, and allowed to dry. The polymer films were made with varying weight percentages of the drug ranging from 0 wt% to 100 wt%. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were employed to evaluate the polymers’ crystallinity and crystallization temperatures. Inclusion of drug molecules in the polymer matrix should decrease these properties. Evidence of lower crystallinity or crystallization temperature provides insight into drug partitioning within the hydrophilic PEO and/or hydrophobic PCL blocks of the copolymer.