COMPARISON OF BODY DISTRIBUTION OF POLY(VINYL ALCOHOL) WITH OTHER WATER-SOLUBLE POLYMERS AFTER INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION

The body distribution of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with molecular weig hts (MW) from 14800 to 434000 Da was investigated after intravenous ad ministration and compared with that of other water-soluble polymers su ch as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), gelatin, dextran, and pullulan. The half-life of PVA in the circulation was prolonged from 90 min (MW 148 00Da) to 23 h (MW 434000 Da), similar to that of PEG which had a half- life of 30 min (MW 6000) and 20 h (MW 170000). However, the half-life of PVA was much longer than that of other polymers when compared at a similar molecular weight. PVA was located in most organs but with very small accumulation. An insignificant interaction of PVA with cell com ponents, such as macrophages and blood cells, was observed. Similar to PEG, the excretion rate of PVA at the glomeruli was rapidly reduced a round 30000 Da, as the molecular weight increased. These results indic ate that the half-life of intravenously injected PVA in the blood was mainly determined by the permeation characteristics of the kidney.