With antibiotic‐resistant bacteria becoming increasingly prevalent, biomaterials capable of targeted, in situ drug delivery are urgently needed. The synthetic polymer Poloxamer 407 (P407) is of particular interest due to its thermoreversible gelation. Clinical use of P407 typically involves sterilization via autoclaving, but the effects of these extreme environmental conditions on hydrogel water content, rheological properties and efficacy as a drug delivery vehicle remain unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of autoclaving on the properties of P407 hydrogel. Autoclaving reduced hydrogel water content due to evaporation, thus increasing the polymer weight fraction of the hydrogels. In contrast, except for a reduction in gelation temperature following autoclaving, autoclaved hydrogels had similar rheological properties as nonautoclaved hydrogels. In vitro, autoclaving did not hinder the hydrogel's efficacy as a carrier for vancomycin antibiotic, and P407 (with and without vancomycin) had a bactericidal effect on planktonic Staphylococcus aureus. An in vivo pilot study using P407 to deliver bacteriophage highlighted the need for additional understanding of the functionality of the hydrogel for surgical applications. In conclusion, P407 hydrogel water content and gelation temperature were reduced by autoclave sterilization, while other rheological properties and the efficacy of the biomaterial as a delivery vehicle for vancomycin in vitro were unaffected.

中文翻译：

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泊洛沙姆 407 水凝胶的高压灭菌及其作为药物输送载体的用途。

随着耐抗生素细菌变得越来越普遍，迫切需要能够靶向原位给药的生物材料。合成聚合物泊洛沙姆 407 (P407) 由于其热可逆凝胶化而特别受关注。P407 的临床使用通常涉及通过高压灭菌进行灭菌，但这些极端环境条件对水凝胶含水量、流变特性和作为药物输送载体的功效的影响仍然未知。本研究的目的是研究高压灭菌对 P407 水凝胶性能的影响。由于蒸发，高压灭菌降低了水凝胶的含水量，从而增加了水凝胶的聚合物重量分数。相反，除了高压灭菌后凝胶温度​​降低外，高压灭菌的水凝胶与非高压灭菌的水凝胶具有相似的流变特性。在体外，高压灭菌不妨碍水凝胶作为万古霉素抗生素载体的功效，P407（含或不含万古霉素）对浮游生物具有杀菌作用金黄色葡萄球菌。一项使用 P407 递送噬菌体的体内试验研究强调了进一步了解水凝胶在外科应用中的功能的必要性。总之，高压灭菌降低了 P407 水凝胶的含水量和凝胶温度，而其他流变特性和生物材料作为万古霉素体外递送载体的功效不受影响。