Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 23, 2026
08:05
Preparation of Chitosan-based Injectable Hydrogels and Its Application in 3D Cell Culture
Published on: September 29, 2017
19.2K
Reduction-Responsive Chitosan-Based Injectable Hydrogels for Enhanced Anticancer Therapy
Trung Thang Vu1, Sonyabapu Yadav1, Obireddy Sreekanth Reddy2
1Department of Smart Green Technology Engineering, Pukyong National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.
Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)
|June 28, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed novel chitosan-based injectable hydrogels for targeted cancer therapy. These smart hydrogels selectively release anticancer drugs like doxorubicin (DOX) at tumor sites, improving efficacy and reducing side effects.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Cancer Therapeutics
Background:
- Selective drug delivery to tumors is crucial for enhancing chemotherapy efficacy and minimizing systemic toxicity.
- Injectable hydrogels offer a promising platform for localized and controlled drug release.
- Developing stimuli-responsive materials that release drugs in the tumor microenvironment is a key challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer reduction-responsive, chitosan-based injectable hydrogels for controlled doxorubicin (DOX) delivery.
- To investigate the physicochemical properties and drug-loading capabilities of these novel hydrogels.
- To evaluate the in vitro biocompatibility and anticancer efficacy of the DOX-loaded hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Chitosan derivatives were functionalized with norbornene groups.
- Disulfide-based cross-linkers with tetrazine groups were synthesized.
- Inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction was utilized for hydrogel formation.
- Physicochemical properties (swelling, gelation, mechanical strength) and DOX loading efficiency were characterized.
- In vitro drug release studies were conducted under various conditions (pH, DTT presence).
- MTT assays were performed to assess cytotoxicity and anticancer activity on HEK-293 and HT-29 cell lines.
Main Results:
- Injectable hydrogels were successfully synthesized with tunable gelation times (90-500 s) and mechanical strength (G'~350-850 Pa).
- High doxorubicin (DOX) loading efficiency (≥92%) was achieved.
- In vitro studies demonstrated pH- and reduction-responsive DOX release, with enhanced release at acidic pH and in the presence of DTT.
- The hydrogels exhibited good biocompatibility and significant in vitro anticancer activity against HT-29 cancer cells.
Conclusions:
- Reduction-responsive chitosan-based hydrogels are effective platforms for controlled doxorubicin delivery.
- These hydrogels show potential for improving cancer treatment by enhancing local drug concentration and reducing systemic toxicity.
- Further in vivo studies are warranted to validate their therapeutic potential in cancer therapy.
