Cytocompatible injectable carboxymethyl chitosan/N-isopropylacrylamide hydrogels for localized drug delivery

Cytocompatible injectable hydrogels with pH and temperature sensitivity based on carboxymethyl chitosan-graft-poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide)-glycidyl methacrylate (CMCS-PNIPAm-GMA) were prepared by UV crosslinking, and these hydrogels as localized drug carriers for anticancer drug and anti-inflammatory drug were also investigated. The chemical structure of CMCS-PNIPAm-GMA and of their hydrogels was characterized by FT-IR and NMR. The effect of PNIPAm grafting percentage, pH and temperature on the swelling ratio of the hydrogels was studied, demonstrating the pH/temperature-responsive nature of the hydrogels. The morphology of the hydrogels before and after swelling was observed by scanning electron microscope. 5-Fluorouracil and diclofenac sodium as model drugs were encapsulated into the hydrogels in situ. Moreover, the effect of pH and temperature on the release of these drugs was discussed. The cytocompatibility of the macromonomer CMCS-PNIPAm-GMA and their hydrogels was studied with dog bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by using Alamar blue measurement and Live/Dead assay kit. All the results indicated that these degradable injectable hydrogels are good candidates for localized delivery systems of drugs.