Modulatory factors on temperature-synchronized degradation of dextran grafted with thermoresponsive polymers and their hydrogels

Several types of dextran grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-N, N-dimethylacrylamide [dextran-g-poly(NIPAAm-co-DMAAm)] with different graft lengths and numbers were synthesized in a preciously controlled fashion, and their enzymatic degradation was examined by viscosity measurement and gel permeation chromatography as a function of temperature. Degradation of dextran-g-poly(NIPAAm-co-DMAAm)s decreased with increasing the graft length below their lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs). Above the LCST, enzymatic degradation was independent of the graft length. A larger amount of the graft chain with increasing the graft length rather than the graft number was effective to modulate the temperature-synchronized degradation. Hydrogels were prepared by cross-linking the graft copolymers using 1,6-hexamethylenediamine. While all the hydrogels have water content of about 93-96% in a wide range of temperatures, their degradation behaviors show a significant dependence on a temperature change. Such a unique property is closely related to the structure of graft copolymers such as graft lengths. Consequently, introducing thermoresponsive grafts with longer length to dextran and its hydrogels is suggested to be an important factor for modulating enzymatic degradation of dextran in synchronization with temperature.