Synthesis and characterization of biodegradable poly(ether-ester) urethane acrylates for controlled drug release

Three polyether-ester triblock diols, with various molecular weights, were synthesized from ε-caprolactone and polyethylene glycol and used, with diisocyanates, as soft segments for the preparation of polyurethane acrylate oligomers. The polyurethane acrylates were used to generate cross-linked polyurethane films via UV initiated polymerization with and without cargo incorporation. Degradation experiment indicated that in PBS/H2O2/CoCl2 the films degraded rapidly compared to PBS alone or with lipase. The polyurethane membrane loaded with the antibiotic tetracycline, demonstrated prolonged release over 200h, suggesting that the polymers could be used as an implant coating for controlled drug release. [Display omitted] •Polymer diols based on PEG400 and poly(ε-caprolactone) were synthesized and used to make polyurethane acrylate (PUA) macro-monomers.•The PUA membranes were prepared by UV initiated polymerization and characterized with DSC, XRD, DMA and water contact angle measurement.•The biodegradation of the polyurethane membranes was carried out in PBS, lipase solution and H2O2 solution respectively.•The PUA membranes were loaded with tetracycline to evaluate the profiles of controlled drug release and were used for anti-bacteria test.