Pluronic cross-linked gels

Cross-linked gels formed by irradiation have a high water uptake capacity and sorb drugs thus giving rise to the possibility of using these systems as delayed release devices. Fig. 11.27 compares the release of acetanilide from a dialysis bag from a Pluronic F68 solution and from a gel, the drug having been solubilized in... 

Figure 11.27 Release rate of acetanilide from ( ) a solution of 2% Pluronic F68 containing 0.01 % acetanilide and ( ) a cross-linked gel of 2% Pluronic F68 containing 0.01 % acetanilide. From Al-Saden et al [185] with permission.

The structure of these gel-like systems of micelles is very different from that of conventional electrophoresis media made from chemically and physically cross-linked polymers of polyacrylamide and agarose [75], The absence of chemical or physical cross-links in the Pluronic gel-like phases may allow a larger degree of freedom for macromolecular transport around the obstacles that make up the medium than occurs in conventional electrophoresis media. 

---