Biodegradable Polycaprolactone/Polyethylene Glycol/Chitosan Intravaginal Implants for Progesterone Delivery: A Preliminary Study on Physicochemical Properties, Release Kinetics, and Biocompatibility

The need for sustainable intravaginal drug-delivery systems in veterinary reproduction is increasing day by day.However, most intravaginal devices currently available in the market rely on non-biodegradable polymers.The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate biodegradable progesterone implants composed of polycaprolactone (PCL), polyethylene glycol (PEG) and chitosan.Three formulations (10/72/18, 20/64/16 and 30/56/14% PCL/PEG/chitosan) were fabricated via melt molding and characterized for morphology, mechanical strength, degradation in simulated vaginal fluid (SVF), progesterone release, cytocompatibility, and environmental compost biodegradation.Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA followed, by Tukey's post-hoc test to identify significant differences among implant formulations.Implant I (10/72/18% PCL/PEG/chitosan) demonstrated the highest porosity (11.9%;P