Polyketal Microparticles Function as Noninflammatory Drug Delivery Vehicles

A team of biochemical engineers has developed a type of micro-particle that can carry drugs into the heart muscle and then breakdown into noninflammatory degradation products.

The microparticles are made from the polymer poly(cyclohexane-1,4-diylacetone dimethylene ketal) (PCADK), a member of the polyketal family of compounds.
Investigators at Emory University (Atlanta, GA, USA) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA) used PCADK microparticles to deliver the experimental MAP kinase enzyme-inhibiting drug SB239063 into the heart muscles of laboratory rats that had artificially induced heart attacks.

Results published in the October 19, 2008, online edition of the journal Nature Materials revealed that the microparticles broke down slowly over a period of several weeks while releasing the drug into the heart muscle. Inhibition of MAP kinase persisted for a week, while a positive effect on heart function strengthened over a period of 21 days. The residue left from the particles was found to be both nontoxic and noninflammatory.

"If you look at previous studies to see what it would take to get enough of these drugs into the heart, they did things like direct injections twice a day, and there are clear toxicity issues if the whole body is exposed to the drug,” said senior author Dr. Michael Davis, assistant professor of biochemical engineering at Emory University. "PCADK holds great promise for treating myocardial infarction and other inflammatory diseases given its neutral, biocompatible degradation products and its ability to deliver a wide range of therapeutics.”

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Emory University
Georgia Institute of Technology