Stabilization of Pluronic Gels in the Presence of Different Polysaccharides

Several different polysaccharides have been added to pluronic F127 (poloxamer 407) gels to test their ability to stabilize the gels against dissolution in aqueous media over time. The studied polysaccharides include -carrageenan, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, pectin, alginate, hydroxyethylcellulose, and ethyl(hydroxyethyl)cellulose. Although all the considered polysaccharides slowed down the dissolution time of the pluronic gels, unmodified polysaccharides only had a modest stabilization effect. However, hydrophobic modification of polysaccharides with a sufficiently long hydrocarbon chain (C-16) was found to partly prevent the gels from dissolving for more than 6 months. Shorter hydrocarbon chains did not have the same effect, even at high degrees of hydrophobicity. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40465.