Injectable and biodegradable sugar beet pectin/gelatin hydrogels for biomedical applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Injectable hydrogels are advantageous over pre-formed ones in biomedical applications.
• Previous sugar beet pectin (SBP) hydrogels showed limited in vivo biodegradability due to a lack of suitable animal enzymes.
• There is a need for injectable hydrogels with improved in vivo degradation for enhanced therapeutic efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop SBP-based injectable hydrogels with enhanced in vivo biodegradability.
• To investigate the gelation properties and mechanical characteristics of the new SBP/gelatin hydrogels.
• To evaluate the efficacy of these biodegradable hydrogels in a preclinical cancer model.

Main Methods:

• Formulated injectable hydrogels by incorporating biodegradable gelatin into sugar beet pectin (SBP).
• Utilized a horseradish peroxidase-catalyzed oxidative coupling reaction for rapid gelation (< 1 min).
• Tunable gelation time and mechanical properties by adjusting polymer concentrations. Evaluated in vivo anti-cancer efficacy using doxorubicin-loaded gels in a mouse melanoma model.

Main Results:

• Developed rapidly gelling (< 1 min) SBP/gelatin injectable hydrogels.
• Achieved tunable gelation kinetics and mechanical properties by varying SBP and gelatin concentrations.
• Demonstrated significantly enhanced in vivo biodegradability compared to previous SBP-only gels.
• Successfully suppressed solid tumor growth in mice using doxorubicin-loaded SBP/gelatin hydrogels.

Conclusions:

• Injectable and biodegradable SBP/gelatin hydrogels represent a promising advancement in biomaterials.
• These novel hydrogels offer tunable properties and improved in vivo degradation for biomedical applications.
• The SBP/gelatin system demonstrates potential for effective drug delivery, particularly in cancer therapy.