Hydrogel Microtube Drug Carrier for Catheter-Based Intravascular Therapy

This paper proposes the hydrogel microtube carrier that can be retained within blood vessels without interrupting blood flow for the practical application of intravascular therapy. The stable three-dimensional network formed by the barium alginate gel enables the carrier to retain drugs within blood vessels. The utility of this hydrogel microtube carrier was confirmed through in vitro vascular mimic models and in vivo rat experiments. These experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel microtube carrier can be retained within blood vessels without obstructing blood flow and can deliver the drug model, Lipiodol, in the small renal artery. The hydrogel microtube carrier we propose represents a potential new platform advancing the practical application of intravascular drug delivery systems (DDS) and intravascular cell therapy.