| abstract |
Amphiphilic oligomers are provided that yield self-assembled, phase-separated hydrogels suitable for sustained release drug delivery. The oligomers are of formula (D-C-A-C)n-B or (D-C-B-C)n-A, where A represents a hydrophilic segment such as polyethylene glycol, B is a degradable hydrophobic segment such as polycaprolactone, C is a linking group comprising a urethane or urea linkage, D is a terminal catechol adhesive group capable of cross- linking, and n is 2 or 3. The oligomers are prepared by (i) reacting either one of a hydrophilic polyol or a hydrophobic polyol with a diisocyanate compound; (ii) reacting the product of step (i) with the other of the hydrophilic polyol and hydrophobic polyol; and (iii) reacting the product of step (ii) with a catechol derivative to form the terminal adhesive groups. |