Journal
MOLECULES
Volume 27, Issue 18, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/molecules27185993
Keywords
tetra-PEG-based hydrogel; radioactive labeling; metabolism; biodistribution
Funding
- Ministry of Science and Technology of China [2018ZX09721002-002]
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This study investigated the in vivo metabolism of polyethylene glycol hydrogels using radioactively labeled substances. The hydrogel was mainly excreted through urine and exhibited highest distribution in the kidney. The radioactivity recovery rates in blood were low. The study provides insights into the metabolism of the hydrogel in vivo.
In vivo metabolism of polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels has rarely been studied. In this study, we prepared a chemically crosslinked hydrogel formulation using C-14-labeled tetra-armed poly (ethylene glycol) succinimidyl succinate (Tetra-PEG-SS) and H-3-labeled crosslinking agent for implantation into the pelvis of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. This radioactive labeling technique was used to investigate the radioactivity excretion rates in of feces and urine, the blood exposure time curve, and the radioactivity recovery rate in each tissue over time. We showed that the primary excretion route of the hydrogel was via urine (H-3: about 86.4%, C-14: about 90.0%), with fewer portion through feces (H-3: about 6.922%, C-14: about 8.16%). The hydrogel metabolites exhibited the highest distribution in the kidney, followed by the jejunal contents; The H-3 and C-14 radioactivity exposures in the remaining tissues were low. We also showed that the H-3 and C-14 radioactivity recovery rates in the blood were usually low (<0.10% g(-1) at 12 h after implantation), even though, in theory, the hydrogel could be absorbed into the blood through the adjacent tissues. By using a combination of HPLC-MS/MS and offline radioactivity counting method, we established that the tetra-PEG-based hydrogel was mainly metabolized to lower-order PEG polymers and other low-molecular-weight substances in vivo.
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