Title
Cellulose-graft-poly(L-lactide) as a degradable drug-delivery system: synthesis, degradation and drug release
Authors
LIN DAI YUE SHEN DAN LI SHU XIAO and JING HE

Received March 12, 2013
Published Volume 48 Issue 3-4 March-April
Keywords cellulose, poly(L-lactide), microsphere, degradable, drug delivery

Abstract
A cellulose-based degradable material, cellulose-graft-poly(L-lactide), was successfully attained via ring-opening polymerization (ROP) in an ionic liquid. The microsphere was prepared by the phase separation method, and the optimum reaction conditions were established as follows: dispersant dosage, 15% (g/g cellulose/AmimCl solution); oil/water volume ratio, 4:1; stirring speed, 350 r/min. Using wide-angle X-ray powder diffraction (WAXD), swelling and degradation tests, the changes resulting from degradation in the crystalline structure were also investigated. The hydration and degradation of cellulose-g-PLLA demonstrate significantly different characteristics, which dominated the drug-release mechanism of the cellulose-g-PLLA microspheres. It showed that the drug-release rate increased with the decrease in the grafting degree of the cellulose-g-PLLA, which may be due to the increased hydration ability of the cellulose-g-PLLA microspheres. Consequently, the cellulose-g-PLLA microspheres might be used as a potential polymer for the controlled release of drugs.