Aptamer-functionalized in situ injectable hydrogel for controlled protein release.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Drug Delivery Systems
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Injectable hydrogels are promising for protein delivery but often exhibit rapid drug release due to high permeability.
• Controlling protein release kinetics is crucial for effective therapeutic outcomes in treating human diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To functionalize an in situ injectable hydrogel model with nucleic acid aptamers to achieve controlled protein release.
• To investigate the relationship between aptamer structure, affinity, and protein release modulation.

Main Methods:

• Secondary structural predictions and binding analyses were performed on aptamers.
• Aptamer affinity was assessed by mutating essential and nonessential nucleotides.
• Mutated aptamers were used to functionalize injectable hydrogel models for protein release studies.

Main Results:

• Structural predictions of aptamers did not always align with experimental measurements.
• Aptamer affinity was sensitive to mutations in essential nucleotides but not nonessential ones.
• Aptamer-functionalized hydrogels successfully prolonged protein release, with rates tunable by aptamer affinity.

Conclusions:

• Nucleic acid aptamer functionalization offers a viable strategy for controlling protein release from injectable hydrogels.
• The affinity of aptamers can be precisely engineered to modulate drug release kinetics for therapeutic applications.
• This approach enhances the potential of hydrogel-based protein delivery systems.