To enhance the therapeutic effects of chemotherapy on malignant melanoma, paclitaxel (PTX)-loaded methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) nanoparticles (MPEG-b-PCL NPs) that had their surfaces modified with polydopamine (PTX-loaded MPEG-b-PCL NPs@PDA) were prepared as drug vehicles. The block copolymer MPEG-b-PCL was synthesized by ring-opening polymerization and characterized by p...

The objective of this work was to study the effect of fatty acid chain length grafted to methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) on self assembling properties of micelles for etoposide delivery. Three amphiphilic copolymers were synthesized using mPEG, myristic acid, stearic acid and behenic acid through an esteric linkage. The particle size and zeta potential of the micelles were determined by th...

Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)/chitosan graft co-polymers (CS-g-mPEGs) with different degrees of substitution were synthesized by reductive N-alkylation of chitosan with poly(ethylene glycol) aldehyde. The crystalline and thermal properties of CS-g-mPEGs were characterized by wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). The results indica...

Dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE)-containing liposomes that demonstrated pH-dependent release of their contents were stabilized in the bilayer form through the addition of a cleavable lipid derivative of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in which the PEG was attached to a lipid anchor via a disulfide linkage (mPEG-S-S-DSPE). Liposomes stabilized with either a non-cleavable PEG (mPEG-DSPE) or mPEG...

emptied and washed, and the 24h efflux of inulin was determined; it is plotted against the final swelling ratio from the experiment in which the sac was stretched. An unstretched control is also included. In a similar unstretched sac, the half-time of raffinose escape was I4Omin. Clearly inulin escapes faster than the polyethylene glycol of comparable molecular weight at all porosities, but at ...

Anti-PEG antibodies have been reported to mediate the accelerated clearance of PEG-conjugated proteins and liposomes, all of which contain methoxyPEG (mPEG). The goal of this research was to assess the role of the methoxy group in the immune responses to mPEG conjugates and the potential advantages of replacing mPEG with hydroxyPEG (HO-PEG). Rabbits were immunized with mPEG, HO-PEG, or t-butoxy...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Transport of urea across the blood-brain barrier is increased during postischemic cerebral reperfusion in the piglet. Ischemia/reperfusion also has been observed to increase apparent superoxide anion generation on the surface of the brain. The present study was designed to address the hypothesis that the increased transfer of urea into the brain after ischemia/reperfusion...

BACKGROUND There is data in the literature indicating increased oxidative stress in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Erythropoiesisstimulating agents (ESAs), which are commonly used to treat anemia in patients with CKD, seem to have an antioxidant action, which could be a part of nephroprotection. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a long half-life ESA, methoxy polyethyl...