Photo-Crosslinked Biodegradable Hydrogels Prepared From Fumaric Acid Monoethyl Ester-Functionalized Oligomers for Protein Delivery

Photo‐crosslinkable, fumaric acid monoethyl ester‐functionalized triblock oligomers are synthesized and copolymerized with N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone to form biodegradable photo‐crosslinked hydrogels. Poly(ethylene glycol) is used as the middle hydrophilic segment and the hydrophobic segments are based on D,L‐lactide, trimethylene carbonate or a mixture of these monomers. Two model proteins, lysozyme and albumin, are incorporated in the hydrogels and their release is studied. The composition of the hydrophobic segments could be used to tune degradation behavior and release rates. Careful optimization of photo‐polymerization conditions is needed to limit conjugation of proteins to the hydrogels and protein denaturation. Novel photo‐crosslinked hydrogels prepared from functionalized triblock oligomers are investigated for use in protein delivery. By varying the composition and length of the hydrophobic blocks, the hydrogel degradation behavior and protein release profiles can be tuned. The effect of the light‐induced radical polymerization on the incorporated proteins is investigated.