Tracking the urinary excretion of high molar mass poly(vinyl alcohol)

The fate of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) of weight average molar mass of 125,000 g/mol after administration into the peritoneum of rabbits has bean studied by various methods. PVA was spin-labeled with a nitroxide radical and then detected in urine using electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. Furthermore, unlabeled polymer was also administered to rabbits, then the urine was collected, dialyzed, precipitated, and the excretion of PVA was confirmed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), FTIR spectroscopy, and (1)H NMR spectroscopy. ESR and SEC results show that, despite its relatively high molar mass, PVA is excreted through the kidneys without significant molar mass changes. Nevertheless, NMR and FTIR spectra show slight differences between the excreted and neat PVA. Possible causes of these discrepancies are discussed.