A novel method for the preparation of solvent-free poly(«-caprolactone) (PCL) microspheres from PCL/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) blends was developed and demonstrated. The particle size of the PCL spheres are in the range of 1 to 20 mm (mostly in the range 5–10 mm). The influences of the molecular weight of PCL, the molecular weight of PEG, the type of emulsifier, the concentration of plasticize...

Organic/inorganic hybrid materials are attracting considerable attention in the biomedical area. The sol-gel process provides a convenient way to produce many bioactive organic-inorganic hybrids. Among those, poly(e-caprolactone)/zirconia (PCL/ZrO₂) hybrids have proved to be bioactive with no toxic materials. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of these materials on the cellula...

Airway surface liquid is comprised of mucus and an underlying, watery periciliary liquid (PCL). In contrast to the well-described axial transport of mucus along airway surfaces via ciliary action, theoretical analyses predict that the PCL is nearly stationary. Conventional and confocal microscopy of fluorescent microspheres and photoactivated fluorescent dyes were used with well-differentiated ...

The blood-brain barrier is a substantial obstacle for delivering anticancer agents to brain tumors, and new strategies for bypassing it are sorely needed for brain tumor therapy. Intranasal delivery provides a practical, noninvasive method for delivering therapeutic agents to the brain. Intranasal application of nano-sized micelles that have been modified with Tat peptide facilitates brain deli...

The properties of blends of polycaprolactone and starch (PCL/starch) and maleic anhydride (MAH)-grafted-polycaprolactone and starch (PCL-g-MAH/starch) were examined using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, H nuclear magnetic resonance (H NMR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mechanical testing. Mechanical and thermal properties of PCL became noticeably worse when it wa...

Drop on demand printing (DDP) is a solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technique capable of generating microscale physical features required for tissue engineering scaffolds. Here, we report results toward the development of a reproducible manufacturing process for tissue engineering scaffolds based on injectable porogens fabricated by DDP. Thermoplastic porogens were designed using Pro/Engineer a...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Because of the oblique orientation of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL), flexion gap distraction could lead to anterior movement of the tibia, which would influence the tibiofemoral contact point. This would affect the kinematics of the TKR. We assessed the flexion gap parameters when the knee is distracted during implantation of a PCL-retaining TKR. Furthermore, the ...

The aims of the study were to investigate the effect of poly(ε -caprolactone) (PCL) and nano- SiO2 within the thermoplastic starch (TPS) blends on the rate and extent of starch enzymatic hydrolysis using enzymes α-amylase and amyloglucosidase. The results of this study have revealed that blends with nano-SiO2 content at 6 wt% exhibited a significantly reduced rate and exte...

A new well-defined bisbenzoin group end-functionalized poly(ε-caprolactone) macrophotoinitiator (PCL-(PI)2) was synthesized by combination of ring opening polymerization (ROP) and click chemistry. The ROP of ε-CL monomer in bulk at 110 °C, by means of a hydroxyl functional initiator namely, 3-cyclohexene-1-methanol in conjunction with stannous-2-ethylhexanoate, (Sn(Oct)2), yielded a well-define...

BACKGROUND The formulation of docetaxel available for clinical use (Taxotere) contains a high concentration of polysorbate 80 (Tween 80). After incorporation of Tween 80 into poly-ɛ-caprolactone (PCL)-Tween 80 copolymer, the relative amount of Tween 80 should be decreased and the advantages of PCL and Tween 80 should be combined. METHODS A novel PCL-Tween 80 copolymer was synthesized from ɛ-c...