Synthesis and characterization of Pluronic graftedchitosan copolymer as a novel injectable biomaterial

Water-soluble thermosensitive chitosan copolymers were prepared by coupling Pluronic. onto chitosan using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dim-ethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide (EDC) andN-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) as coupling agents. The physicochemical properties ofthe resulting copolymers were characterized and they formed thermally reversible hydrogels, which exhibit a lower critical solutiontemperature (LCST) at 34.C in aqueous solutions. As a result, chitosan copolymers attest to the usefulness as an injectable materialfor cell and drug delivery because of their thermally reversible property.. KCI Citation Count: 76