Effect of the incorporation of hydroxy-terminated liquid silicones on the cure characteristics, morphology, and release of a model protein from silicone elastomer-covered rods

Christopher McConville, Gavin Andrews, David Woolfson, Karl Malcolm

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Silicone elastomer systems have previously been shown to offer potential for the sustained release of protein therapeutics. However, the general requirement for the incorporation of large amounts of release enhancing solid excipients to achieve therapeutically effective release rates from these otherwise hydrophobic polymer systems can detrimentally affect the viscosity of the precure silicone elastomer mixture and its curing characteristics. The increase in viscosity necessitates the use of higher operating pressures in manufacture, resulting in higher shear stresses that are often detrimental to the structural integrity of the incorporated protein. The addition of liquid silicones increases the initial tan delta value and the tan delta values in the early stages of curing by increasing the liquid character (G '') of the silicone elastomer system and reducing its elastic character (G'), thereby reducing the shear stress placed on the formulation during manufacture and minimizing the potential for protein degradation. However, SEM analysis has demonstrated that if the liquid character of the silicone elastomer is too high, the formulation will be unable to fill the mold during manufacture. This study demonstrates that incorporation of liquid hydroxy-terminated polydimethylsiloxanes into addition-cure silicone elastomer-covered rod formulations can both effectively lower the viscosity of the precured silicone elastomer and enhance the release rate of the model therapeutic protein bovine serum albumin.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)805-812
JournalJournal of Applied Polymer Science
Volume124
Issue number1
Early online date31 Dec 2011
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 05 Apr 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Materials Chemistry
  • Polymers and Plastics
  • Surfaces, Coatings and Films
  • Chemistry(all)

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