BIOADHESIVE PROPERTIES OF POLYOXYETHYLENE-6-POLYOXYPROPYLENE-A-POLYOXYETHYLENE-g-POLY(ACRYLICACID) POLYMERS (SMART HYDROGEL~(TM)

摘要

The force of bioadhesion is determined as a sum of attractive forces between the adhesive material and the biological tissue. These forces may include electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen bonding and are usually involved in the process of mucin-polymer adhesion 2. In the present study, we apply a simple rheological method for the in vitro assessment of mucin-polymer bioadhesive bond strength to characterize temperature-gelling copolymers of Pluronic surfactants and poly(acrylic acid) (Smart Hydrogel). It may be very advan-tageous if Smart Hydrogel would possess bioadhesive properties, and thus increased retention time in drug delivery applications.