Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable poly(ether-ester) urethane acrylates for controlled drug release

Three polyether-ester triblock diols, with various molecular weights, were synthesized from ε-caprolactone and polyethylene glycol and used, with diisocyanates, as soft segments for the preparation of polyurethane acrylate oligomers. The polyurethane acrylates were used to generate cross-linked polyurethane films via UV initiated polymerization with and without cargo incorporation. Degradation experiment indicated that in PBS/H 2 O 2 /CoCl 2 the films degraded rapidly compared to PBS alone or with lipase. The polyurethane membrane loaded with the antibiotic tetracycline, demonstrated prolonged release over 200   h, suggesting that the polymers could be used as an implant coating for controlled drug release.