Biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol) block copolymers: characterization and their use as drug carriers for a controlled delivery system.

Poly(epsilon-caprolactone)-poly(ethylene glycol) (PECL) copolymers were synthesized from polyethylene glycol (PEG) and epsilon-caprolactone (epsilon-CL) using stannous octoate as catalyst at 160 degrees C by bulk polymerization. The effect of the molecular weight of PEG and the copolymer ratio on the properties of the copolymers was investigated by (1)H-NMR, IR, DSC and GPC. PCL and PECL microspheres containing human serum albumin were elaborated by solvent extraction method based on the formation of double w/o/w emulsion. Microspheres were characterized in terms of morphology, size, loading efficiency, and the efficiency of microspheres formation. The results show that the microspheres prepared from PECL-10 and PECL-15 copolymers achieved the highest loading efficiency (about 50%) among all copolymers. These results indicate that the properties of copolymers could be tailored by adjusting polymer composition. It is suggested that these matrix polymers may be optimized as carriers in the protein (antigen) delivery system for different purposes.