Spinneret - Weaving the chemical web one molecule at a time...

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy has been used to evaluate a new approach to the controlled released of the drug paclitaxel used in preventing a re-narrowing of blood vessels following insertion of a coated-stent to treat the initial condition.

Paclitaxel (aka Taxol) is added to PLGA, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid, and used to coat blood vessel stents. This reduces the risk of restenosis and cuts target-vessel revascularization. PEG is now added as a plasticizer, but little is known about the release mechanism from these polymer blends.

Now, Kinam Park and colleagues at Purdue University have used CARS microscopy and molecular imaging to reveal details of just how paclitaxel is released from from the polymer blends and why different compositions are better than others. Their results could help refine the formulation of the stent coating and ultimately improve success rates.

You can read more about their work in the Raman channel on SpectroscopyNOW.com

InChI=1/C47H51NO14/c1-25-31(60-43(56)36(52)35(28-16-10-7-11-17-28)48-41(54)29-18-12-8-13-19-29)23-47(57)40(61-42(55)30-20-14-9-15-21-30)38-45(6,32(51)22-33-46(38,24-58-33)62-27(3)50)39(53)37(59-26(2)4 9)34(25)44(47,4)5/h7-21,31-33,35-38,40,51-52,57H,22-24H2,1-6H3,(H,48,54)/t31-,32-,33+,35-,36+,37-,38-,40-,45+,46-,47+/m0/s1/f/h48H

Posted by David Bradley on Friday, June 29th, 2007 at 4:00 pm.