Biodegradable polymers are an active area of investigation, particularly ones that can be produced from sustainable, biobased monomers, such as copolymers of poly(butylene succinate) (PBS). In this study, we examine the enzymatic degradation of poly(butylene succinate-dilinoleic succinate) (PBS-DLS) copolymers obtained by “green” enzymatic synthesis using lipase B from Candida antarctica (CALB). The copolymers differed in their hard to soft segments ratio, from 70:30 to 50:50 wt %. Enzymatic degradation was carried out on electrospun membranes (scaffolds) and compression-moulded films using lipase from Pseudomomas cepacia . Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) was used as a reference aliphatic polyester. The degradation process was monitored gravimetrically via water uptake and mass loss. After 24 days, approx. 40% mass loss was observed for fibrous materials prepared from the PBS-DLS 70:30 copolymer, as compared to approx. 10% mass loss for PBS-DLS 50:50. Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and size exclusion chromatography (SEC) analysis were used to examine changes in chemical structure. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning light microscopy (LSM) revealed changes in degree of crystallinity, and changes in surface morphology, consistent with a surface erosion mechanism. We conclude that the obtained copolymers are suitable for tissue engineering applications thanks to tuneable degradation and lack of acidification during breakdown.

Poly­(butylene succinate) (PBS) is a thermoplastic and biodegradable polyester characterized by high rigidity due to its high crystallinity. However, the use of long-chain biobased monomers to produce segmented copolymers is an effective strategy to tailor the properties of PBS, such as increasing flexibility. In this Article, a series of aliphatic biocopolyesters of poly­(butylene succinate-dilinoleic succinate) (PBS-DLS) were successfully synthesized via a direct two-step polycondensation method using a semipilot scale reactor for melt polymerization and titanium dioxide/silicon dioxide coprecipitate catalyst (C-94), an alternative catalytic system. The change in catalyst led to a reduced reaction time and eliminated the distillation step required for the typical organometallic titanium catalyst, thus representing an improvement in energy efficiency. In this study, the thermal and mechanical properties were investigated and compared, focusing on the effect of varying the amount of biobased dilinoleic diol in the structure. With increasing amount of long-chain diol, a decrease in molecular weight, density, and melt flow index was observed. The semicrystalline nature of the copolymers was confirmed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) methods. Increasing the soft DLS segment content in the copolymer series resulted in an increase in the elastic behavior of the polymers. The broad range of crystallization temperatures and melt flow index values indicates that a polyester library with customizable properties that spans PBS applications has been successfully obtained.

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Targeted therapies provide increased efficiency for the detection and treatment of cancer with reduced side effects. Folate receptor (alpha subunit) is overexpressed in multiple tumors including liver cancer. In this study, we evaluated the specificity and toxicity of a folic acid-containing drug delivery vehicle (DDV) in a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) model. The DDV was prepared with two units each of folic acid (FA) and fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) molecules and conjugated to a central poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) core via a modified chemo-enzymatic synthetic process. Rat hepatoma (N1S1) and human monocytic (U937) cell lines were used for cell culturebased assays and tested for DDV uptake and toxicity. Folate receptor expressions in liver tissues and cell lines were verified using standard immunohistochemistry techniques. Rat HCC model was used for in vivo assessment. The DDV was injected via intra-arterial or intravenous methods and imaged with IVIS spectrum in vivo imaging system. Strong signals of FITC in the liver tumor region correlated to targeted DDV uptake. The use of PEG enhanced water-solubility and provided flexibility for the interaction of FA ligands with multiple cell surface folate receptors that resulted in increased specific uptake. Our study suggested that PEG incorporation and folate targeting via intra-arterial approach is an efficient strategy for targeted delivery in HCC therapy. K E Y W O R D S drug delivery vehicle, folic acid/folate, intra-arterial/intra-venous delivery, poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG), targeted drug delivery, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE)

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