Novel thermosensitive chitosan hydrogels: in vivo evaluation

Chitosan is an attractive biopolymer for the preparation of hydrogels. Its unique combination of biocompatibility, biodegradability, bioadhesivity, and tissue-promoting abilities allows pharmaceutical applications. We investigated novel thermosensitive hydrogels based on chitosan homogeneously reacetylated to a deacetylation degree of about 50%, combined with selected polyols or polyoses such as trehalose, a nontoxic polysaccharide. The latter, a gel-inducing and lyoprotective agent enabled the formulation to be lyophilized and rehydrated without affecting the thermosensitive behavior. This made possible long-term storage and promoted its use in a clinical setup. The thermally induced sol-gel transition allowed injectability and in situ setting. Rheological characterization revealed that storage moduli could be increased by one decade by increasing the chitosan concentration from 1.4 to 2.2% (w/w). Evaluation in vivo provided evidence of in situ implant formation in subcutaneous tissue of Sprague-Dawley rats and permanence for up to 3 months. Histopathological analysis demonstrated a mild, chronic, inflammatory reaction that disappeared with the complete absorption of the gel implant over a few months period. Such in situ forming hydrogels could be advantageous for specific applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering.