A Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) relata o câncer como uma das principais causas de morte no mundo. O câncer de próstata é o segundo tipo de câncer mais prevalente em homens. Uma modalidade de tratamento que vem sendo bastante utilizada é a braquiterapia, que consiste na introdução de sementes com material radioativo no interior do orgão. Sementes de Iodo-125 podem ser inseridas soltas ou em cordas poliméricas bioabsorvíveis. As sementes em cordas poliméricas apresentam algumas vantagens, pois reduzem a taxa de migração das sementes, evento que poderia afetar a dosimetria da região e causar danos desnecessários a tecidos ou órgãos sadios. Para as sementes de Iodo-125 em cordas poliméricas, utiliza-se a poliglactina 910, (poli(ácido lático-co-ácido glicólico)) (PLGA), com cobertura de poliglactina 370 (Vicryl®). Foi proposto neste trabalho, o estudo e desenvolvimento da metodologia de síntese do biopolímero PLGA, via polimerização por abertura de anéis, assim como sua caracterização, com o propósito de utilizar o material sintetizado para fabricar um material similar ao RAPID-Strand®. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que, através da metodologia utilizada, foi possível determinar os melhores parâmetros de reação (tempo e temperatura) para o PLGA na proporção 80/20 (lactídeo/glicolídeo). Com uma temperatura de 110ºC e tempo de reação de 24h, foi possível obter 86% de rendimento, e com o aumento o tempo de reação para 72h, o rendimento é superior a 90%. Os valores de massas moleculares obtidas entre os testes, ainda são muito baixos quando comparados com os valores obtidos por outros autores na literatura (cerca de 20%). Falhas na selagem das ampolas, deixando-os vulneráveis à umidade e oxigênio, ou a falta de uma sistema eficiente de agitação podem ser possíveis explicações para estes resultados. Um reator químico adequado poderia solucionar o problema. Em relação à caracterização, as técnicas utilizadas confirmaram a estrutura esperada do polímero, e a maior proporção das unidades provenientes do dímero lactídeo, em relação ao glicolídeo. / According to World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. A method of radiotherapy which has been extensively used is brachytherapy, where radioactive seeds are placed inside the area requiring treatment. Iodine-125 seeds can be placed loose or stranded in bioabsorbable polymers. Stranded seeds show some advantages, since they reduce the rate of seed migration, an event that could affect the dosimetry of the prostate and cause unnecessary damage to healthy tissues or organs. For Iodine-125 stranded seeds, polyglactin 910 (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) (PLGA), with a coverage of polyglactin 370 (Vicryl ®) is used. It was purposed in this dissertation, the study and development of the synthesis methodology for PLGA via ring-opening polymerization, as well as its characterization, with the objective of using the synthesized material to manufacture a material similar to RAPID Strand®. The results obtained show that it was possible to determine the optimal reaction parameters (time and temperature) for PLGA in 80/20 (lactide/glycolide) ratio. Using a temperature of 110 ° C and reaction time of 24h, a yield of 86% was obtained, and increasing the reaction time to 72 hours, the yield was higher than 90%. The molecular mass values obtained from the samples are still very low compared to those obtained by other authors in the literature (about 20%). Failures in the sealing of vials, leaving them vulnerable to moisture and oxygen, or lack of an efficient stirring system might be possible explanations for these results. A suitable chemical reactor could solve the problem. Regarding polymer characterization, all techniques used not only confirmed the expected structure of the polymer, but also showed the highest proportion of lactide units compared to to glycolide units.

A Organização Mundial da Saúde (OMS) relata o câncer como uma das principais causas de morte no mundo. O câncer de próstata é o segundo tipo de câncer mais prevalente em homens. Uma modalidade de tratamento que vem sendo bastante utilizada é a braquiterapia, que consiste na introdução de sementes com material radioativo no interior do orgão. Sementes de Iodo-125 podem ser inseridas soltas ou em cordas poliméricas bioabsorvíveis. As sementes em cordas poliméricas apresentam algumas vantagens, pois reduzem a taxa de migração das sementes, evento que poderia afetar a dosimetria da região e causar danos desnecessários a tecidos ou órgãos sadios. Para as sementes de Iodo-125 em cordas poliméricas, utiliza-se a poliglactina 910, (poli(ácido lático-co-ácido glicólico)) (PLGA), com cobertura de poliglactina 370 (Vicryl®). Foi proposto neste trabalho, o estudo e desenvolvimento da metodologia de síntese do biopolímero PLGA, via polimerização por abertura de anéis, assim como sua caracterização, com o propósito de utilizar o material sintetizado para fabricar um material similar ao RAPID-Strand®. Os resultados obtidos demonstram que, através da metodologia utilizada, foi possível determinar os melhores parâmetros de reação (tempo e temperatura) para o PLGA na proporção 80/20 (lactídeo/glicolídeo). Com uma temperatura de 110ºC e tempo de reação de 24h, foi possível obter 86% de rendimento, e com o aumento o tempo de reação para 72h, o rendimento é superior a 90%. Os valores de massas moleculares obtidas entre os testes, ainda são muito baixos quando comparados com os valores obtidos por outros autores na literatura (cerca de 20%). Falhas na selagem das ampolas, deixando-os vulneráveis à umidade e oxigênio, ou a falta de uma sistema eficiente de agitação podem ser possíveis explicações para estes resultados. Um reator químico adequado poderia solucionar o problema. Em relação à caracterização, as técnicas utilizadas confirmaram a estrutura esperada do polímero, e a maior proporção das unidades provenientes do dímero lactídeo, em relação ao glicolídeo. / According to World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men. A method of radiotherapy which has been extensively used is brachytherapy, where radioactive seeds are placed inside the area requiring treatment. Iodine-125 seeds can be placed loose or stranded in bioabsorbable polymers. Stranded seeds show some advantages, since they reduce the rate of seed migration, an event that could affect the dosimetry of the prostate and cause unnecessary damage to healthy tissues or organs. For Iodine-125 stranded seeds, polyglactin 910 (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) (PLGA), with a coverage of polyglactin 370 (Vicryl ®) is used. It was purposed in this dissertation, the study and development of the synthesis methodology for PLGA via ring-opening polymerization, as well as its characterization, with the objective of using the synthesized material to manufacture a material similar to RAPID Strand®. The results obtained show that it was possible to determine the optimal reaction parameters (time and temperature) for PLGA in 80/20 (lactide/glycolide) ratio. Using a temperature of 110 ° C and reaction time of 24h, a yield of 86% was obtained, and increasing the reaction time to 72 hours, the yield was higher than 90%. The molecular mass values obtained from the samples are still very low compared to those obtained by other authors in the literature (about 20%). Failures in the sealing of vials, leaving them vulnerable to moisture and oxygen, or lack of an efficient stirring system might be possible explanations for these results. A suitable chemical reactor could solve the problem. Regarding polymer characterization, all techniques used not only confirmed the expected structure of the polymer, but also showed the highest proportion of lactide units compared to to glycolide units.

L'administration de protéines de façon locale et prolongée à partir de microsphères biodégradables de PLGA présente un réel intérêt thérapeutique (diminution du nombre d'injections, potentialisation de l'activité, diminution des effets secondaires), plus particulièrement, dans le domaine de l'ingénierie tissulaire pour l'apport de facteurs de croissance. Cependant, la faible stabilité des protéines dans ces systèmes limite leur développement. Dans ce travail, des stratégies ont été mises en place pour préserver l'intégrité de protéines à la fois lors des étapes d'encapsulation et de libération. Dans une étude préliminaire, des protéines modèles et thérapeutiques ont été précipitées afin d'éviter leur dénaturation pendant leur future encapsulation. Des particules submicroniques ont ainsi été formées par ajout d'un non solvant et d'un sel à une solution aqueuse de protéine. Après optimisation des rendements de précipitation, ces particules de protéines ont été microencapsulées par un procédé de simple émulsion (s/o/w). Aucune perte d'activité n'a été observée et ce, sans stabilisant. Ensuite, pour pallier au ralentissement de la libération après le premier jour d'incubation des microsphères, l'interaction protéine-polymère a été modélisée et des composés capables de limiter l'adsorption du lysozyme sur le PLGA ont été sélectionnés, notamment le poloxamer 188. La précipitation du lysozyme avec du poloxamer 188 avant encapsulation a ainsi conduit à une libération continue de protéine active pendant trois semaines sans effet burst à partir de microsphères de PLGA et pendant plus de six semaines avec un copolymère tribloc de PLGA-PEG-PLGA.

Implantable sensors have been extensively investigated to facilitate diagnosis or to provide a means to generated closed loop control of therapy by yielding in vivo measurements of physical and chemical signals. Biodegradable sensors which degrade gradually after they are no longer functionally needed exhibit great potential in acute or shorter-term medical diagnostic and sensing applications due to the advantages of (a) exclusion of the need to a secondary surgery for sensor removal, and (b) reduction of the risk of long-term infection. The objective of this research is to design and characterize microfabricated RF wireless pressure sensors that are made of completely biodegradable materials and degrade at time-controlled manner (in the order of years and months). This was achieved by means of investigation of appropriate biodegradable materials and development of appropriate fabrication processes for these non-standard (Microelectromechanical systems) MEMS materials. Four subareas of research are performed: (1) Design of sensors that operate wirelessly and are made of biodegradable materials. The structure of the wireless sensor consists a very compact and relatively simple design of passive LC resonant circuits embedded in a polymer dielectric package. To design the sensor with a particular resonant frequency range, an electromagnetic model of the sensor and a mechanical model for circular plate are developed. The geometry of the sensor is established based on the analytical and finite element simulations results. (2) Investigation of the biodegradable materials in the application of implantable biodegradable wireless sensors to achieve controllable degradation lifetimes. Commercially available and FDA approved biodegradable polymers poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) and a "shell-core" structure of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) are utilized as the dielectric package for slow and rapid degradation sensors, respectively. Biodegradable metallic zinc and zinc/iron couples are chosen as conductor materials. The degradation behavior of Zn and Zn/Fe-couple are investigated in vitro. (3) Development of novel fabrication processes. The process exploit the advantages of MEMS technology in fabricating miniaturized devices, while protecting vulnerable biodegradable materials from the strong and/or hazardous chemicals that are commonly used in conventional MEMS fabrication process. These new processes enable the fabrication of biocompatible and biodegradable 3-D devices with embedded, near-hermetic cavities. (4) Testing the pressure response functionality and studying the degradation behavior of the wireless biodegradable pressure sensors. Both PLLA-based and PLGA/PVA-based sensors are characterized in vitro by being immersed in 0.9% saline for prolonged time. All the sensors exhibit three stages of behavior in vitro: equilibration, functional lifetime, and performance degradation. During the functional lifetime, most sensors exhibit fully stable functionality. The PLLA-based sensors show no significant weight loss within 8 month and are expected to fully degrade after 2 years, while the PLGA/PVA-based sensors can degrade completely within 26 days.

No description available.

Cette thèse vise à développer des nanoparticules de PLGA pour la vectorisation et à étudier l’interaction de ces nanoparticules avec des bicouches phospholipidiques imitant les membranes cellulaires. Pour la vectorisation passive, les changements physico-chimiques ont été contrôlés en incubant les NPs de PLGA (50:50) dans différentes conditions de pH tamponné à des intervalles de temps accrus. Le PLGA a montré plusieurs comportements de dégradation différant selon le pH. La formation de pores a été observée à pH élevé (conditions basiques) tout en préservant le volume des particules mais en modifiant la densité. Par opposition, à faible pH, une érosion superficielle des particules conduisant à une diminution de leur taille a été démontrée. Cette étude a été réalisée à l'aide de la DLS, l’ESEM et la spectrophotométrie. Pour la vectorisation active, les parois des capsules de PLGA (75:25) ont été modifiées par addition de phospholipides. La libération de la sonde fluorescente hydrophile, la calcéine, a été contrôlée en augmentant la température. On a observé qu'avec le DOPC (0,31 mM), la vectorisation peut être déclenchée à l'aide de détergents ou d'une enzyme (PLA2). Dans le cadre de cette étude, nous avons proposé la formation d'un complexe lipide-polymère ayant lieu à l'intérieur de la matrice, ce qui le rend vulnérable aux enzymes ou détergents induisant sa libération. L'effet des NPs de PLGA sur les bicouches phospholipidiques imitant la membrane cellulaire a été réalisé à l'aide de sondes fluorescentes moléculaires (Prodan et Laurdan). L'étude a été effectuée en calculant la polarisation généralisée (GP) sous l'influence des NPs de PLGA (50:50 et 75:25). L'interaction ayant lieu s’avérait être un phénomène de surface et aucune effet des NPs sur la perméabilité des membranes modèles LUVs et SUVs n’a été souligné. La valeur de Tm des phospholipides est également maintenue lorsque l’étude est menée avec le Laurdan. Les études de GP mené avec la sonde Prodan fournissent la première méthode originale pour déterminer la Tg de PLGA dans des conditions aqueuses. C'est une méthode rapide et facile qui détermine la valeur de Tg de PLGA en temps réel et en utilisant une très petite quantité de l'échantillon. Cette interaction n'est pas affectée par la composition des membranes cellulaires imitant les bicouches. / This thesis aims at developing PLGA nanoparticles for controlled release and investigating its interaction with phospholipid bilayers mimicking cell membranes. For passive controlled release the physiochemical changes were monitored by incubating the PLGA (50:50) NPs in different buffered pH conditions at increased time intervals. PLGA exhibited dissimilar degradation behavior with pore formation for high pH (basic conditions) maintaining the volume of the particles but change in the density, while at low pH it showed surface erosion. There is decrease in the particle size upon incubating in low pH. This study was carried out using DLS, ESEM and spectrophotometry. For active release the walls of PLGA (75:25) capsules were modulated using phospholipids. The release of hydrophilic fluorescent probe Calcein was monitored with increasing the temperature. It was observed that with DOPC (0.31mM) the release can be triggered using detergents or an enzyme (PLA2). We propose the formation of a lipid-polymer complex within the polymer matrix forming plugs which are vulnerable to enzymes/detergents inducing release. The effect of PLGA NPs over the phospholipid bilayers mimicking cell membrane was carried out using molecular fluorescent probes (Prodan and Laurdan). The study was carried out by calculating the generalised polarisation (GP) under the influence of PLGA NPs (50:50 and 75:25). It is found that the interaction is a surface phenomenon and there is no influence of NPs over the permeability of model membranes LUVs and SUVs. The Tm value of the phospholipids is also maintained when studied with Laurdan. Prodan probe GP studies provide first original method to determine the Tg of PLGA in complete aqueous conditions. It is a rapid and easy method which determines the Tg value of PLGA in real time using very small quantity of the sample. This interaction is not affected by the composition of the bilayer mimicking cell membranes.

No description available.