Post-surgical patch releases non-opioid painkiller directly to the wound
New polymer promises localized pain control for critical first four days


Date:
January 11, 2021
Source:
Duke University
Summary:
A team of scientists has developed a bio-compatible surgical
patch that releases non-opioid painkillers directly to the site
of a wound for days and then dissolves away. The polymer patch
provides a controlled release of a drug that blocks the enzyme COX-2
(cyclooxygenase-2,) which drives pain and inflammation.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A Duke-led team of scientists has developed a bio-compatible surgical
patch that releases non-opioid painkillers directly to the site of a
wound for days and then dissolves away.


==========================================================================
The polymer patch provides a controlled release of a drug that blocks the enzyme COX-2 (cyclooxygenase-2,) which drives pain and inflammation. The
study appears Jan. 10, 2021 in the Journal of Controlled Release.

When they started "We were making hernia meshes and different
antimicrobial films," said Matthew Becker, the Hugo L. Blomquist professor chemistry at Duke, and last author on the paper. "We thought you could potentially put pain drugs or anesthetics in the film if you just sew
it in as you're stitching the person up, then you wouldn't necessarily
have to prescribe any opioids," Becker said.

The work grew out of a $2 million grant Becker received from the state of
Ohio at his previous institution to investigate non-opioid pain management
, one measure toward fighting a nationwide epidemic of opioid drug
abuse. Since arriving at Duke in 2019, Becker's team has partnered with
Duke pain control expert Dr. Ru-Rong Ji and his team to refine the idea.

The polymer itself, comprised of poly(ester urea) homopolymers and
co-polymers, is also special, Becker said.

"Most polymers that are used in medicine swell, and everything comes out
at once," Becker said. But this polymer erodes slowly, and its painkiller
dose and longevity can be controlled simply by varying the surface area
and thicknesses.

"The film is about like a piece of paper." "If you can get four or five
days of pain control out of the patch and not have to take those other
pain drugs, not only do you avoid some of the side effects and risks of addiction, you're concentrating therapy where you need it," Becker said.

Rat studies also showed that the painkiller stayed in tissues close to
the patch site, rather than dissolving into circulating plasma.

Becker said the patch should be able to provide three or four days of
wound- pain management, which is the critical period for post-surgical
pain. The implantable film would be particularly useful in endoscopic procedures and instances where the physicians and patients would like to
avoid opioid exposure such as Cesarean births and pediatric surgeries. In studies with mice that mimic the neuropathic pain of diabetes, the pain
patch was placed against a nerve and provided a four-day nerve block.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Duke_University. Original written
by Karl Leif Bates.

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Natasha C. Brigham, Rebecca Nofsinger, Xin Luo, Nathan Z. Dreger,
Alexandra K. Abel, Tiffany P. Gustafson, Seth P. Forster, Andre
Hermans, Ru-Rong Ji, Matthew L. Becker. Controlled release of
etoricoxib from poly (ester urea) films for post-operative pain
management. Journal of Controlled Release, 2021; 329: 316 DOI:
10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.11.052 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210111135857.htm

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