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Updated: Jun 17, 2025
Cellular Encapsulation in 3D Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering
Published on: October 26, 2009
Encapsulating Rhodamine 6G in Oxidized Sodium Alginate Polymeric Hydrogel for Photodynamically Inactivating Cancer
Pragya Pallavi1, Koyeli Girigoswami1, Pemula Gowtham1
1Department of Medical Bionanotechnology, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Hospital & Research Institute (CHRI), Chettinad Academy of Research and Education (CARE), Kelambakkam, Chennai, TN-603103, India.
Introduction:
As cancer therapy progresses, challenges remain due to the inherent drawbacks of conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, gene therapy, radiation therapy, and surgical removal. Moreover, due to their associated side effects, conventional treatments affect both cancerous and normal cells, making photodynamic therapy (PDT) an attractive alternative.
Methods:
As a result of its minimal toxicity, exceptional specificity, and non-invasive characteristics, PDT represents an innovative and highly promising cancer treatment strategy using photosensitizers (PSs) and precise wavelength excitation light to introduce reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vicinity of cancer cells.
Results:
Poor aqueous solubility and decreased sensitivity of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) prevent its use as a photosensitizer in PDT, necessitating the development of oxidized sodium alginate (OSA) hydrogelated nanocarriers to enhance its bioavailability, targeted distribution, and ROS-quantum yield. The ROS quantum yield increased from 0.30 in an aqueous environment to 0.51 when using alginate-based formulations, and it was further enhanced to 0.81 in the case of OSA.
Conclusion:
Furthermore, the nanoformulations produced fluorescent signals suitable for use as cellular imaging agents, demonstrating contrast-enhancing capabilities in medical imaging and showing minimal toxicity.
