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Injectable nanocomposite cryogels for versatile protein drug delivery
Sandeep T Koshy1, David K Y Zhang2, Joshua M Grolman2
1John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge 02139, MA, USA.
Acta Biomaterialia
|November 13, 2017
Summary
This study introduces a new injectable hydrogel system for sustained protein drug delivery. The novel nanocomposite hydrogel, incorporating charged nanoparticles, effectively controls protein release, enhancing therapeutic potential.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Hydrogel systems are widely explored for protein delivery but often exhibit rapid release and potential protein denaturation.
- Existing methods for sustained protein release from hydrogels can be complex and may compromise protein activity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an injectable nanocomposite hydrogel for sustained and bioactive release of therapeutic proteins.
- To create a versatile and simplified strategy for controlling protein release kinetics from hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Injectable, porous cryogels were synthesized using bio-orthogonal crosslinking of alginate.
- Protein cargo was pre-adsorbed onto charged Laponite nanoparticles and incorporated into the hydrogel matrix.
- The effect of Laponite nanoparticle content on protein release kinetics was investigated.
Main Results:
- The incorporation of Laponite nanoparticles significantly reduced burst release of encapsulated proteins.
- Protein release kinetics could be precisely tuned by adjusting the Laponite nanoparticle concentration.
- The developed hydrogel system demonstrated sustained and bioactive release of various proteins.
Conclusions:
- An injectable nanocomposite hydrogel was successfully developed for simple and versatile controlled release of therapeutic proteins.
- This strategy simplifies protein delivery system design by avoiding cumbersome pre-encapsulation steps.
- The tunable release profile makes this hydrogel system highly applicable for diverse therapeutic protein delivery applications.