Dual pH/temperature-responsive cellulose nanocrystals with tailored dual-triggered structural adaptability for...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Biomaterials Engineering
• Pharmaceutical Sciences

Background:

• Designing oral solid preparations with responsive release mechanisms is crucial for precise therapeutic efficacy in gastrointestinal diseases.
• Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) offer a versatile platform for drug delivery due to their biocompatibility and tunable properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a dual pH/temperature-responsive cellulose nanocrystal (CNCs-D-N) for controlled drug release.
• To fabricate and characterize stimuli-sensitive tablets (CNC@DNWT) for oral drug delivery.
• To evaluate the drug release kinetics and potential for targeted gastric cancer therapy.

Main Methods:

• Grafting a stimuli-sensitive copolymer onto carboxylated cellulose nanocrystal to create CNCs-D-N.
• Wet-loading tetracycline hydrochloride into CNCs-D-N to fabricate CNC@DNWT tablets.
• Assessing mechanical properties, drug loading capacity, and release kinetics under simulated gastric conditions.

Main Results:

• CNCs-D-N exhibited pH-dependent and thermally induced structural adaptability for controlled molecular extension and contraction.
• CNC@DNWT tablets demonstrated excellent mechanical robustness, high drug loading (99%), and ultrafast release initiation (7 s).
• Achieved 99% cumulative drug release under simulated gastric conditions (pH 3, 37°C), highlighting synergistic dual-stimuli effects.

Conclusions:

• The developed CNCs-D-N provides a mechanistic strategy for intelligent cellulose-based oral formulations.
• This approach enables precise control over drug release kinetics through dual pH/temperature responsiveness.
• Shows significant potential for targeted gastric cancer therapy and other gastrointestinal disease treatments.