Preparation and characterization of diazeniumdiolate releasing ethylcellulose films.

A monolayer and trilayer membrane configuration of ethylcellulose were doped with a new synthesized diazeniumdiolate GAGS/NO (glutaraldehyde modification of glucosamine/NO adduct) and DETA/NO as the NO donor species, which can be used for altering the time course of nitric oxide donor release and targeting it to tissues with which the polymers are in physical contact. The NO donor release profiles show that the average release rate of DETA/NO can be controlled from 0.2 to 9 x 10(-10)mol cm(-2) min(-1) for at least 7 day and up to 30 day under physiological condition. The average release rate of GAGS/NO is varied from 0.1 to 0.5 x 10(-10)mol cm(-2) min(-1) for up to 94 day. The trilayer configuration effectively eliminates the burst release in the initial stage, and notably increases the NO donor release time. The trilayer films of DETA/NO can release 5% of the total NO donors over 69 h. In comparison, the trilayer films of GAGS/NO only release 2.5% of the total NO donors over 69 h. The results suggest that this nitric oxide donor releasing polymer may hold considerable promise for reducing the risk of restenosis following angioplasty and other interventional procedures for vascular repair.