Peripheral nerve blockade is an important perioperative intervention for pain management. However, this management always results in a limited analgesia effect due to the rapid elimination of local anesthetic drugs after a single injection, while continuous infusion leads to multiple side effects associated with catheter insertion. In this study, three thermosensitive hydrogels, i.e., Pluronic F127, and poly(L-alanine)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(L-alanine) (PAIa-PEG-PAIa), and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-blockpoly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA), with distinct properties were applied to encapsulate bupivacaine (BUP) for prolonged analgesia with one single injection. All three hydrogel platforms exhibited a homogeneous three-dimensional structure with thermosensitive properties and high BUP encapsulation efficiency. The BUP loaded in PAla-PEG-PAla showed a sustained drug release profile, which was advantageous over those from Pluronic F127 and PLGA-PEG-PLGA with either burst release or inadequate release. The hydrogel platforms exhibited prolonged nerve blockade duration compared with BUP.HCl in vivo. Furthermore, the in vivo residence period of PAla-PEG-PAla/BFB was shorter than that of PLGA-PEG-PLGA/BFB while longer than that of Pluronic F127/BFB. All the hydrogels induced reversible inflammatory response without neurotoxicity. Overall, in comparison with the other two hydrogel platforms, PAla-PEG-PAla exhibited controlled drug release, appropriate residence period, and long-acting analgesia effect. Moreover, it might be a potential method to meet the different demands of regional nerve blockade and guide clinical pain management.
[1]Chinese Acad Sci, Key Lab Polymer Ecomat, Changchun Inst Appl Chem, 5625 Renmin St, Changchun 130022, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[2]Jilin Univ, Dept Spine Surg, Hosp 1, 71 Xinmin St, Changchun 130021, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[3]Jilin Univ, Dept Anesthesia, Hosp 2, 218 Ziqiang St, Changchun 130041, Jilin, Peoples R China.
[4]Univ Penn, Dept Bioengn, 210 South 33rd St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
[5]Hosp Univ Penn, Dept Neurosurg, 3400 Spruce St, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
[6]Jilin Univ, Dept Anesthesia, China Japan Union Hosp, 126 Xiantai St, Changchun 130033, Jilin, Peoples R China.
(8.0+极速模式)