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Acid and Glutathione Dual-Responsive, Injectable and Self-Healing Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery
Benshun Zhu1, Tong Zong2, Ruifu Zheng1
1Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Advanced Catalytic Materials and Reaction Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui 230009, P. R. China.
Biomacromolecules
|February 20, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed injectable, self-healing hydrogels that respond to dual stimuli (acid and glutathione) for controlled drug delivery. These advanced materials show potential as versatile therapeutic delivery vehicles.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Drug Delivery Systems
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing multifunctional hydrogels for drug delivery is crucial due to complex physiological environments and infection risks.
- Existing hydrogels often lack stability, responsiveness, or desirable physical properties like injectability and self-healing.
- There is a need for advanced drug release platforms with neutral stability and sensitivity to multiple stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create injectable, self-healing hydrogels with dual-stimuli responsiveness (acid and glutathione) for controlled drug delivery.
- To develop a facile preparation method for these advanced hydrogel systems.
- To evaluate the drug release, stability, injectability, self-healing, biodegradability, and biocompatibility of the novel hydrogels.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized camptothecin (CPT) modified with disulfide bonds and attached to poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) via Schiff base reaction (PEI-CPT).
- Created OSA-IR780 by reacting IR780 with oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) via Schiff base reaction.
- Formed PEI-CPT/OSA-IR780 hydrogels rapidly through simple mixing of aqueous solutions, demonstrating dual-stimuli responsiveness.
Main Results:
- Rapid hydrogel formation (<40 s) with good neutral stability.
- Controlled release of camptothecin (CPT) in simulated tumor environments (acidic pH and elevated glutathione).
- Demonstrated significant injectability, self-healing properties, long-term biodegradability, and biocompatibility.
Conclusions:
- PEI-CPT/OSA-IR780 hydrogels offer a promising platform for controlled drug delivery.
- The dual-responsive, injectable, and self-healing nature of these hydrogels addresses key challenges in therapeutic delivery.
- These hydrogels exhibit excellent stability, biodegradability, and biocompatibility, indicating significant potential for biomedical applications.
