Fusibility of Poly(N-carboxy α-Amino Acid Anhydride) Materials Treated under Pressure-Heat Conditions and in Vitro-in Vivo Degradation of Hot-Pressed Materials

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Abstract
Powdered poly(N-carboxy α-amino acid anhydride) materials were treated at temperatures of 50, 100, 150, and 200°C under a pressure of 150 kg/cm2. A number of hot-pressed materials showed simultaneous fusion and contraction in volume. The fusion temperature of the hot-pressed materials was generally lower than the true melting point of the powdered materials at atmospheric pressure (determined with a Differential Scanning Calorimeter). The hot-pressed materials had high rigidity and transparency. The in vitro-in vivo degradation of hot-pressed materials was also investigated. The homo- and copoly(α-amino acid) materials used in this study were scarcely degraded, though debenzylated t e rpolymers such as β-benzyl-L-aspartate/aspartic acid/L-leucine and γ -benzyl-L- glutamate/glutamic acid/L - leucine we re significantly degraded in both the in vitro and in vivo experiments. It was found that the in vivo degradation profile of hot-pressed terpolymer materials corresponds relatively well to degradation with 0.01% trypsin.