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Han J, Najafi S, Byun Y, Geonzon L, Oh SH, Park J, Koo JM, Kim J, Chung T, Han IK, Chae S, Cho DW, Jang J, Jeong U, Fredrickson GH, Choi SH, Mayumi K, Lee E, Shea JE, Kim YS. Bridge-rich and loop-less hydrogel networks through suppressed micellization of multiblock polyelectrolytes. Nat Commun 2024; 15:6553. [PMID: 39095421 PMCID: PMC11297175 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50902-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Most triblock copolymer-based physical hydrogels form three-dimensional networks through micellar packing, and formation of polymer loops represents a topological defect that diminishes hydrogel elasticity. This effect can be mitigated by maximizing the fraction of elastically effective bridges in the hydrogel network. Herein, we report hydrogels constructed by complexing oppositely charged multiblock copolymers designed with a sequence pattern that maximizes the entropic and enthalpic penalty of micellization. These copolymers self-assemble into branched and bridge-rich network units (netmers), instead of forming sparsely interlinked micelles. We find that the storage modulus of the netmer-based hydrogel is 11.5 times higher than that of the micelle-based hydrogel. Complementary coarse grained molecular dynamics simulations reveal that in the netmer-based hydrogels, the numbers of charge-complexed nodes and mechanically reinforcing bridges increase substantially relative to micelle-based hydrogels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jihoon Han
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Saeed Najafi
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Youyoung Byun
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Lester Geonzon
- The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Seung-Hwan Oh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiwon Park
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Mo Koo
- Department of Organic Materials Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jehan Kim
- Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Taehun Chung
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Im Kyung Han
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Suhun Chae
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong Woo Cho
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinah Jang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Unyong Jeong
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea
| | - Glenn H Fredrickson
- Materials Research Laboratory, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA
| | - Soo-Hyung Choi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Koichi Mayumi
- The Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
- Department of Advanced Materials Science, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Eunji Lee
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Republic of Korea.
| | - Joan-Emma Shea
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
| | - Youn Soo Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea.
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Tanga S, Aucamp M, Ramburrun P. Injectable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels for Cancer Therapy: Challenges and Prospects. Gels 2023; 9:gels9050418. [PMID: 37233009 DOI: 10.3390/gels9050418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The enervating side effects of chemotherapeutic drugs have necessitated the use of targeted drug delivery in cancer therapy. To that end, thermoresponsive hydrogels have been employed to improve the accumulation and maintenance of drug release at the tumour site. Despite their efficiency, very few thermoresponsive hydrogel-based drugs have undergone clinical trials, and even fewer have received FDA approval for cancer treatment. This review discusses the challenges of designing thermoresponsive hydrogels for cancer treatment and offers suggestions for these challenges as available in the literature. Furthermore, the argument for drug accumulation is challenged by the revelation of structural and functional barriers in tumours that may not support targeted drug release from hydrogels. Other highlights involve the demanding preparation process of thermoresponsive hydrogels, which often involves poor drug loading and difficulties in controlling the lower critical solution temperature and gelation kinetics. Additionally, the shortcomings in the administration process of thermosensitive hydrogels are examined, and special insight into the injectable thermosensitive hydrogels that reached clinical trials for cancer treatment is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Tanga
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Marique Aucamp
- School of Pharmacy, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Western Cape, Bellville 7535, South Africa
| | - Poornima Ramburrun
- Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform Research Unit, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2193, South Africa
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Choi J, Kim S, Yoo J, Choi SH, Char K. Self-Healable Antifreeze Hydrogel Based on Dense Quadruple Hydrogen Bonding. Macromolecules 2021. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.1c00295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jewon Choi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- The National Creative Research Initiative Center for Intelligent Hybrids, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Seyoung Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Seoul 04066, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Yoo
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Soo-Hyung Choi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Hongik University, Seoul 04066, Republic of Korea
| | - Kookheon Char
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
- The National Creative Research Initiative Center for Intelligent Hybrids, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
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