| Camptothecin is a potent anticancer drug which is highly water insoluble and sensitive to aqueous media. This drug decomposes via hydrolysis to less potent by-products which can cause serious side effects. These situations may be best treated using localized sustained release chemotherapy. This method of drug delivery will reduce the extent of undesirable side effects such as anaphylaxis and emboli formation. Furthermore, if the drug is delivered intra-tumorally, enhanced drug effectiveness may result. The principal aim of this research is to develop a material which possesses both a hydrophobic and polar nature, is syringeable, and biodegrades relatively quickly. A localized drug delivery system composed of a lipid block (long chain alcohols) and a biodegradable polyester (ϵ-caprolactone) was developed which was capable of solubilizing and stabilizing camptothecin while delivering it in a sustained fashion. The effects of the initiator's chemical structure on the rheology, crystallinity and melting point of the synthesized oligomers were investigated. It was found that oligo(ϵ-caprolactone) initiated with oleyl alcohol had the shortest degradation time in comparison to the other synthesized oligomers. This polymeric system can provide the lipophilic and polar environment necessary to incorporate this poorly water soluble drug (camptothecin) and maintain its stability within the delivery system after being injected into the simulated body fluid. |
