Synthesis of oligocaprolactone vinyl ether macromonomers and their use for indomethacin encapsulation in polymer nanoparticles based on polycaprolactone macromonomer-maleic anhydride-N-vinyl pyrrolidone terpolymers

Abstract

Oligocaprolactone macromonomers functionalized with vinyl ether have been synthesized by polymerization of ε-caprolactone in the presence of hydroxy ethyl or butyl vinyl ether and characterised by NMR and Maldi time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. These macromonomers have been copolymerized with maleic anhydride and N-vinyl pyrrolidone to give terpolymers, which have been used to obtain nanoparticles by the phase-separation-dialysis method. Previously dissolving indomethacin in the terpolymer solution allows one to encapsulate the drug inside the nanoparticles. © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry.