Kinetics of a nucleoside release from lactide-caprolactone and lactide-glycolide polymers in vitro.

We assessed the rate of release of a model nucleoside (adenosine, 5%, w/w) from nine different lactide-glycolide or lactide-caprolactone polymers. The polymer discs were eluted every second day with an artificial cerebrospinal fluid at the elution rate roughly approximating the brain extracellular fluid formation rate. Adenosine in eluate samples was assayed by HPLC. Three polymers exhibited a relatively constant release of adenosine for over four weeks, resulting in micromolar concentrations of nucleoside in the eluate. This points to the neccessity of further development of polymers of this types as intracerebral nucleoside delivery systems for local treatment of brain tumors.