Enzyme-mediated cross-linking of Pluronic copolymer micelles for injectable and in situ forming hydrogels

Biomedical Applications and Nutritional Value of Specific Food-Derived Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogels

Food-derived polysaccharide-based hydrogels (FPBHs), which are composed of polysaccharides derived from food sources exhibit great potential for biomedical applications. The FPBHs possess a wide range of biological activities and can be utilized in the treatment of various clinical diseases. However, the majority of research efforts have predominantly focused on nonspecific polysaccharides derived from various sources (most plants, animals, and microorganisms), whereas the exploration of hydrogels originating from specific polysaccharides with distinct bioactivity extracted from natural food sources remains limited. In this review, a comprehensive search was conducted across 3 major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Medline) until October 24, 2024 to include 32 studies that employed FPBHs for biomedical applications. This review provides an overview of hydrogels based on specific food-derived polysaccharides by summarizing their types, sources, molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and biological activities. The crosslinking strategies employed in the fabrication of FPBHs were demonstrated. The attributes and characteristics of FPBHs were delined, including their physical, chemical, and functional properties. Of particular note, the review highlights in vivo and in vitro studies exploring the biomedical applications of FPBHs and delve into the nutritional value of specific food-derived polysaccharides. The challenges encountered in basic research involving FPBHs were enumerated as well as limitation in their clinical practice. Finally, the potential market outlook for FPBHs in the future was also discussed.

Structure-dynamics correlations in composite PF127-PEG-based hydrogels; cohesive/hydrophobic interactions determine phase and rheology and identify the role of micelle concentration in controlling 3D extrusion printability

A library of composite polymer networks (CPNs) were formed by combining Pluronic F127, as the primary gelator, with a range of di-acrylate functionalised PEG polymers, which tune the rheological properties and provide UV crosslinkability. A coarse-grained sol-gel room temperature phase diagram was constructed for the CPN library, which identifies PEG-dependent disruption of micelles as leading to liquefication. Small angle X-ray scattering and rheological measurements provide detailed insight into; (i) micelle-micelle ordering; (ii) micelle-micelle disruption, and; (iii) acrylate-micelle disruption; with contributions that depend on composition, including weak PEG chain length and end group effects. The influence of composition on 3D extrusion printability through modulation of the cohesive/hydrophobic interactions was assessed. It was found that only micelle content provides consistent changes in printing fidelity, controlled largely by printing conditions (pressure and feed rate). Finally, the hydrogels were shown to be UV photo-crosslinkable, which further improves fidelity and structural integrity, and usefully reduces the mesh size. Our results provide a guide for design of 3D-printable CPN inks for future biomedical applications.

A Comprehensive Review of Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems: Classification, Properties, Recent Trends, and Applications

As adaptable biomaterials, hydrogels have shown great promise in several industries, which include the delivery of drugs, engineering of tissues, biosensing, and regenerative medicine. These hydrophilic polymer three-dimensional networks have special qualities like increased content of water, soft, flexible nature, as well as biocompatibility, which makes it excellent candidates for simulating the extracellular matrix and promoting cell development and tissue regeneration. With an emphasis on their design concepts, synthesis processes, and characterization procedures, this review paper offers a thorough overview of hydrogels. It covers the various hydrogel material types, such as natural polymers, synthetic polymers, and hybrid hydrogels, as well as their unique characteristics and uses. The improvements in hydrogel-based platforms for controlled drug delivery are examined. It also looks at recent advances in bioprinting methods that use hydrogels to create intricate tissue constructions with exquisite spatial control. The performance of hydrogels is explored through several variables, including mechanical properties, degradation behaviour, and biological interactions, with a focus on the significance of customizing hydrogel qualities for particular applications. This review paper also offers insights into future directions in hydrogel research, including those that promise to advance the discipline, such as stimuli-responsive hydrogels, self-healing hydrogels, and bioactive hydrogels. Generally, the objective of this review paper is to provide readers with a detailed grasp of hydrogels and all of their potential uses, making it an invaluable tool for scientists and researchers studying biomaterials and tissue engineering.

Polysaccharides-Based Injectable Hydrogels: Preparation, Characteristics, and Biomedical Applications

Polysaccharides-based injectable hydrogels are a unique group of biodegradable and biocompatible materials that have shown great potential in the different biomedical fields. The biomolecules or cells can be simply blended with the hydrogel precursors with a high loading capacity by homogenous mixing. The different physical and chemical crosslinking approaches for preparing polysaccharide-based injectable hydrogels are reviewed. Additionally, the review highlights the recent work using polysaccharides-based injectable hydrogels as stimuli-responsive delivery vehicles for the controlled release of different therapeutic agents and viscoelastic matrix for cell encapsulation. Moreover, the application of polysaccharides-based injectable hydrogel in regenerative medicine as tissue scaffold and wound healing dressing is covered.

Entropy-Driven Thermo-gelling Vitrimer

Thermo-gelling polymers have been envisioned as promising smart biomaterials but limited by their weak mechanical and thermodynamic stabilities. Here, we propose a new thermo-gelling vitrimer, which remains at a liquid state because of the addition of protector molecules preventing the crosslinking, and with increasing temperature, an entropy-driven crosslinking occurs to induce the sol-gel transition. Moreover, we find that the activation barrier in the metathesis reaction of vitrimers plays an important role, and experimentally, one can use catalysts to tune the activation barrier to drive the vitrimer to form an equilibrium gel at high temperature, which is not subject to any thermodynamic instability. We formulate a mean-field theory to describe the entropy-driven crosslinking of the vitrimer, which agrees quantitatively with computer simulations and paves the way for the design and fabrication of novel vitrimers for biomedical applications.

Self-Forming Double-Crosslinked Hydrogels by the Marriage of Catechols and Enzyme Mimetic Polymers

Self-forming double-crosslinked (DC) hydrogels were designed by incorporating enzyme-mimicking metal coordination polymer crosslinks and catechol chemistry. A macromolecular tris-histidine copper complex acted both as part of the hydrogel network and...

Development of Metronidazole-loaded In situ Thermosensitive Hydrogel for Periodontitis Treatment

Objectives

Periodontal treatment focuses on the thorough removal of specific periodontal pathogens, mainly anaerobic Gram-negative bacteria, by mechanical scaling and root planning. In case the periodontal abscess is detected after treatment, a high dose of antimicrobial agents is commonly applied via oral administration. However, this approach increases the risk of antibiotic resistance and systemic side effects and decreases efficacy. To overcome the aforementioned issues, this study focused on the development of thermosensitive hydrogel to deliver the antibiotic drug metronidazole (MTZ) directly and locally to the oral infection site.

Materials and Methods

The thermosensitive hydrogels were prepared by blending 28% w/v Pluronic F127 with various concentrations of methylcellulose (MC) and silk fibroin (SF). The gel properties, such as sol-gel transition time, viscosity, and gel strength, were investigated. The drug dissolution profiles, together with their theoretical models and gel dissolution characteristics, were also determined.

Results

All hydrogel formulations exhibited sol-gel transitions at 37°C within 1 min. An increase in MC content proportionally increased the viscosity but decreased the gel strength of the hydrogel. By contrast, the SF content did not significantly affect the viscosity but increased the gel strength of the hydrogel. The thermosensitive hydrogels also showed prolonged MTZ release characteristics for 10 days in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at pH 6.6, which followed the Higuchi diffusion model. Moreover, MTZ-thermosensitive hydrogel exhibited delayed dissolution in PBS at 37°C for more than 9 days.

Conclusion

MTZ-thermosensitive hydrogels could be considered a prospective local oral drug delivery system to achieve efficient sustained release and improve the drug pharmacological properties in periodontitis treatment.

A review of hydrogel systems based on poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) for use in the engineering of bone tissues

Bone fracture is usually a medical condition where occurred by high force impact or stress. Recent advances to repair damaged or diseased bone tissues employs three-dimensional (3D) polymer matrices. This review aims to investigate the potential of injectable, dual thermally, and chemically gelable N-isopropyl acrylamide-based hydrogels to deliver scaffold, cells, and growth factors in vitro and in vivo.

Harmonious Biomaterials for Development of In situ Approaches for Locoregional Delivery of Anti-cancer Drugs: Current Trends

Locoregional drug delivery is a novel approach for the effective delivery of anti-cancer agents as it exposes the tumors to high concentration of drugs. In situ gelling systems have fetched paramount attention in the field of localized cancer chemotherapy due to their targeted delivery, ease of preparation, prolonged or sustained drug release and improved patient compliance. Numerous polymers have been investigated for their properties like swelling along with biodegradation, drug release and physicochemical properties for successful targeting of the drugs at the site of implantation. The polymers such as chitosan, Hyaluronic Acid (HA), poloxamer, Poly Glycolic Lactic Acid (PGLA) and Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) tend to form in situ hydrogels and have been exploited to develop localized delivery vehicles. These formulations are administered in the solution form and on exposure to physiological environment such as temperature, pH or ionic composition they undergo phase conversion into a hydrogel drug depot. The use of in situ gelling approach has provided prospects to increase overall survival and life quality of cancer patient by enhancing the bioavailability of drug to the site of tumor by minimizing the exposure to normal cells and alleviating systemic side effects. Because of its favorable safety profile and clinical benefits, United States Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has approved polymer based in situ systems for prolonged locoregional activity. This article discusses the rationale for developing in situ systems for targeted delivery of anti-cancer agents with special emphasis on types of polymers used to formulate the in situ system. In situ formulations for locoregional anti-cancer drug delivery that are marketed and are under clinical trials have also been discussed in detail in this article.

Poloxamer-based in situ gelling thermoresponsive systems for ocular drug delivery applications

In situ gels have recently received interest as ocular drug delivery vehicles because they combine the merits of easy instillation and sustained drug release. In this review, we focus on the use of poloxamers as in situ gelling systems in ocular drug delivery because of their thermoresponsive gelling behaviour, biocompatibility, and ease of sterilisation. Furthermore, the sol-gel transition temperature, mucoadhesive properties, and drug release profiles of poloxamer-based in situ gels can be finely tuned, enabling them to be used as vehicles for the delivery of small and large drug molecules to treat diseases of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. Poloxamer-based ocular products have already found their way to the pharmaceutical market, but remain a potential arena for further investigation and commercial exploitation.

IGF-1C domain-modified hydrogel enhances therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells for hindlimb ischemia

BACKGROUND

Poor cell engraftment and survival after transplantation limited the application of stem cell therapy. Synthetic biomaterials could provide an artificial microenvironment for stem cells, thereby improve cell survival and enhance the therapeutic efficiency of stem cells.

METHODS

We synthesized a hydrogel by conjugating C domain peptide of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1C) onto chitosan (CS-IGF-1C hydrogel). Human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hP-MSCs), which constitutively express a red fluorescent protein (RFP) and renilla luciferase (Rluc), were co-transplanted with CS-IGF-1C hydrogel into a murine hindlimb ischemia model. Transgenic mice expressing firefly luciferase (Fluc) under the promoter of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2-Luc) were used. Dual bioluminescence imaging (BLI) was applied for tracking the survival of hP-MSCs by Rluc imaging and the VEGFR2 signal pathway activation by Fluc imaging. To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of CS-IGF-1C hydrogel, angiographic, real-time PCR, and histological analysis were carried out.

RESULTS

CS-IGF-1C hydrogel could improve hP-MSCs survival as well as promote angiogenesis as confirmed by dual BLI. These results were consistent with accelerated skeletal muscle structural and functional recovery. Histology analysis confirmed that CS-IGF-1C hydrogel robustly prevented fibrosis as shown by reduced collagen deposition, along with increased angiogenesis. In addition, the protective effects of CS-IGF-1C hydrogel, such as inhibiting H2O2-induced apoptosis and reducing inflammatory responses, were proved by in vitro experiments.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, IGF-1Cs provides a conducive niche for hP-MSCs to exert pro-mitogenic, anti-apoptotic, and pro-angiogenic effects, as well as to inhibit fibrosis. Thus, the incorporation of functional peptide into bioscaffolds represents a safe and feasible approach to augment the therapeutic efficacy of stem cells.

Radical free crosslinking of direct-write 3D printed hydrogels through a base catalyzed thiol-Michael reaction

3D printed micelle-based hydrogels were mechanically stabilized and crosslinked through the base catalyzed thiol-Michael addition in PBS buffer, without the use of potentially cytotoxic radical chemistry.

Tissue adhesive, rapid forming, and sprayable ECM hydrogel via recombinant tyrosinase crosslinking

We report on a tissue adhesive hydrogel based on novel recombinant tyrosinase mediated crosslinking. The adhesive hydrogels were fabricated by the site-directed coupling of tyramine-conjugated hyaluronic acid (HA_t, 1% w/v) and gelatin (3% w/v) (HG_gel) with novel tyrosinase derived from Streptomyces avermitilis (SA_Ty). The enzyme-based crosslinking by SA_Ty was fast, with less than 50 s for complete gelation, and the SA_Ty based crosslinking enhanced the physical properties and adhesive strength of the hydrogel significantly with the native tissue samples. Furthermore, by optimizing the injection conditions, we tailored the enzyme-based crosslinking hydrogels to be injectable and sprayable with a medical syringe and commercial airbrush nozzle, respectively. An in vivo analysis of the adhesive hydrogel showed a negligible immune reaction. In this study, demonstrate that the novel enzyme-based crosslinking hydrogel has a robust potential in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

The bioink: A comprehensive review on bioprintable materials

This paper discusses "bioink", bioprintable materials used in three dimensional (3D) bioprinting processes, where cells and other biologics are deposited in a spatially controlled pattern to fabricate living tissues and organs. It presents the first comprehensive review of existing bioink types including hydrogels, cell aggregates, microcarriers and decellularized matrix components used in extrusion-, droplet- and laser-based bioprinting processes. A detailed comparison of these bioink materials is conducted in terms of supporting bioprinting modalities and bioprintability, cell viability and proliferation, biomimicry, resolution, affordability, scalability, practicality, mechanical and structural integrity, bioprinting and post-bioprinting maturation times, tissue fusion and formation post-implantation, degradation characteristics, commercial availability, immune-compatibility, and application areas. The paper then discusses current limitations of bioink materials and presents the future prospects to the reader.

In situ forming gelatin hydrogels by dual-enzymatic cross-linking for enhanced tissue adhesiveness

In situ forming hydrogels show promise as therapeutic implants and carriers in a wide range of biomedical applications.

A comparative study of enzyme initiators for crosslinking phenol-functionalized hydrogels for cell encapsulation

BACKGROUND

Dityrosine crosslinking in proteins is a bioinspired method of forming hydrogels. This study compares oxidative enzyme initiators for their relative crosslinking efficiency and cytocompatibility using the same phenol group and the same material platform. Four common enzyme and enzyme-like oxidative initiators were probed for resulting material properties and cell viability post-encapsulation.

RESULTS

All four initiators can be used to form phenol-crosslinked hydrogels, however gelation rates are dependent on enzyme type, concentration, and the oxidant. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or hematin with hydrogen peroxide led to a more rapid poly (vinyl alcohol)-tyramine (PVA-Tyr) polymerization (10-60 min) because a high oxidant concentration was dissolved within the macromer solution at the onset of crosslinking, whereas laccase and tyrosinase require oxygen diffusion to crosslink phenol residues and therefore took longer to gel (2.5+ hours). The use of hydrogen peroxide as an oxidant reduced cell viability immediately post-encapsulation. Laccase- and tyrosinase-mediated encapsulation of cells resulted in higher cell viability immediately post-encapsulation and significantly higher cell proliferation after one week of culture.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall this study demonstrates that HRP/H2O2, hematin/H2O2, laccase, and tyrosinase can create injectable, in situ phenol-crosslinked hydrogels, however oxidant type and concentration are critical parameters to assess when phenol crosslinking hydrogels for cell-based applications.

Injectable and pH-Responsive Silk Nanofiber Hydrogels for Sustained Anticancer Drug Delivery

Silk is useful as a drug carrier due to its biocompatibility, tunable degradation, and outstanding capacity in maintaining the function of drugs. Injectable silk hydrogels could deliver doxorubicin (DOX) for localized chemotherapy for breast cancer. To improve hydrogel properties, thixotropic silk nanofiber hydrogels in an all-aqueous solution were prepared and used to locally deliver DOX. The silk hydrogels displayed thixotropic capacity, allowing for easy injectability followed by solidification in situ. The hydrogels were loaded with DOX and released the drug over eight weeks with pH- and concentration-dependent release kinetics. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that DOX-loaded silk hydrogels had good antitumor response, outperforming the equivalent dose of free DOX administered intravenously. Thixotropic silk hydrogels provide improved injectability to support sustained release, suggesting promising applications for localized chemotherapy.

Bio-inspired adhesive catechol-conjugated chitosan for biomedical applications: A mini review

The development of adhesive materials, such as cyanoacrylate derivatives, fibrin glues, and gelatin-based adhesives, has been an emerging topic in biomaterial science because of the many uses of these materials, including in wound healing patches, tissue sealants, and hemostatic materials. However, most bio-adhesives exhibit poor adhesion to tissue and related surfaces due to the presence of body fluid. For a decade, studies have aimed at addressing this issue by developing wet-resistant adhesives. Mussels demonstrate robust wet-resistant adhesion despite the ceaseless waves at seashores, and mussel adhesive proteins play a key role in this adhesion. Adhesive proteins located at the distal end (i.e., those that directly contact surfaces) are composed of nearly 60% of amino acids called 3,4-dihydroxy-l-phenylalanine (DOPA), lysine, and histidine, which contain side chains of catechol, primary amines, and secondary amines, respectively. Inspired by the abundant catecholamine in mussel adhesive proteins, researchers have developed various types of polymeric mimics, such as polyethylenimine-catechol, chitosan-catechol, and other related catecholic polymers. Among them, chitosan-catechol is a promising adhesive polymer for biomedical applications. The conjugation of catechol onto chitosan dramatically increases its solubility from zero to nearly 60mg/mL (i.e., 6% w/v) in pH 7 aqueous solutions. The enhanced solubility maximizes the ability of catecholamine to behave similar to mussel adhesive proteins. Chitosan-catechol is biocompatible and exhibits excellent hemostatic ability and tissue adhesion, and thus, chitosan-catechol will be widely used in a variety of medical settings in the future. This review focuses on the various aspects of chitosan-catechol, including its (1) preparation methods, (2) physicochemical properties, and (3) current applications.

Synthesis of poly(dihydroxystyrene-block-styrene) (PDHSt-b-PSt) by the RAFT process and preparation of organic-solvent-dispersive Ag NPs by automatic reduction of metal ions in the presence of PDHSt-b-PSt

We proposed a block copolymer, poly(dihydroxystyrene-block-styrene) (PDHSt-b-PSt), that contains catechol groups in the side chains of PDHSt moieties. Since catechol groups automatically reduce silver (Ag) ions to their metallic state, the block copolymer was used as a reductant to synthesize organic-solvent-dispersive Ag NPs (NPs) stabilized with the block copolymer at room temperature. Ag NP sizes were controlled by changing molecular weights of PDHSt of the block copolymer.

Recent advances in crosslinking chemistry of biomimetic poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels

The design and application of biomimetic hydrogels have become an important and integral part of modern tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Many of these hydrogels are prepared from synthetic macromers (e.g., poly(ethylene glycol) or PEG) as they provide high degrees of tunability for matrix crosslinking, degradation, and modification. For a hydrogel to be considered biomimetic, it has to recapitulate key features that are found in the native extracellular matrix, such as the appropriate matrix mechanics and permeability, the ability to sequester and deliver drugs, proteins, and or nucleic acids, as well as the ability to provide receptor-mediated cell-matrix interactions and protease-mediated matrix cleavage. A variety of chemistries have been employed to impart these biomimetic features into hydrogel crosslinking. These chemistries, such as radical-mediated polymerizations, enzyme-mediated crosslinking, bio-orthogonal click reactions, and supramolecular assembly, may be different in their crosslinking mechanisms but are required to be efficient for gel crosslinking and ligand bioconjugation under aqueous reaction conditions. The prepared biomimetic hydrogels should display a diverse array of functionalities and should also be cytocompatible for in vitro cell culture and/or in situ cell encapsulation. The focus of this article is to review recent progress in the crosslinking chemistries of biomimetic hydrogels with a special emphasis on hydrogels crosslinked from poly(ethylene glycol)-based macromers.

Effect of carboxylated poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) block copolymer on nanostructured unsaturated polyester resin

A carboxylated poly(ethylene oxide-b-propylene oxide-b-ethylene oxide) (PEO-b-PPO-b-PEO) block copolymer was used to fabricate nanostructured unsaturated polyester materials.

Chitosan-g-hematin: enzyme-mimicking polymeric catalyst for adhesive hydrogels

Phenol derivative-containing adhesive hydrogels has been widely recognized as having potential for biomedical applications, but their conventional production methods, utilizing a moderate/strong base, alkaline buffers, the addition of oxidizing agents or the use of enzymes, require alternative approaches to improve their biocompatibility. In this study, we report a polymeric, enzyme-mimetic biocatalyst, hematin-grafted chitosan (chitosan-g-hem), which results in effective gelation without the use of alkaline buffers or enzymes. Furthermore, gelation occurs under mild physiological conditions. Chitosan-g-hem biocatalyst (0.01%, w/v) has excellent catalytic properties, forming chitosan-catechol hydrogels rapidly (within 5 min). In vivo adhesive force measurement demonstrated that the hydrogel formed by the chitosan-g-hem activity showed an increase in adhesion force (33.6 ± 5.9 kPa) compared with the same hydrogel formed by pH-induced catechol oxidation (20.6 ± 5.5 kPa) in mouse subcutaneous tissue. Using the chitosan-g-hem biocatalyst, other catechol-functionalized polymers (hyaluronic acid-catechol and poly(vinyl alcohol)-catechol) also formed hydrogels, indicating that chitosan-g-hem can be used as a general polymeric catalyst for preparing catechol-containing hydrogels.

Suppression of cancer-initiating cells and selection of adipose-derived stem cells cultured on biomaterials having specific nanosegments

Cancer-initiating cells [cancer stem cells (CSCs)] in colon cancer cells can be selectively suppressed when they are cultured on Pluronic (nanosegment)-grafted dishes, whereas CSCs are maintained on conventional tissue culture dishes and extracellular matrix-coated dishes. CSCs persist in tumors as a distinct population and cause relapse and metastasis by giving rise to new tumorigenic clones. The purification or depletion (suppression) of CSCs should be useful for analyzing CSC characteristics and for clinical application. CSCs can be selectively suppressed from colon cancer cells containing adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on Pluronic-grafted dishes, while ADSCs remain on the dishes. ADSCs on Pluronic-grafted dishes after the suppression of the CSCs can differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, adipocytes, cardiomyocytes, and neuronal cells. The CSCs and ADSCs exhibited different characteristics. The selection of ADSCs was possible on Pluronic-grafted dishes that suppressed the CSCs from the fat tissues of cancer patients (i.e., cell-sorting dishes), which was explained by specific biomedical characteristics of Pluronic.

Biodegradable pH/temperature-sensitive oligo(β-amino ester urethane) hydrogels for controlled release of doxorubicin

An injectable biodegradable pH/temperature-sensitive oligo(β-amino ester urethane) (OAEU) was synthesized. The OAEU was synthesized by addition polymerization between the isocyanate groups of 1,6-diisocyanato hexamethylene and the hydroxyl groups of a synthesized monomer piperazine dihydroxyl amino ester (monomer PDE) in chloroform in the presence of dibutyltin dilaurate as a catalyst. The synthesized OAEU was characterized by (1)H NMR spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The aqueous solutions of OAEU showed a sol-to-gel-to-sol phase transition as a function of temperature and pH. The gel window covered the physiological conditions (37°C, pH 7.4) and could be controlled by changing the OAEU concentration. After a subcutaneous injection of the OAEU solution into Sprague-Dawley rats, a gel formed rapidly in situ and remained in the body for more than 2 weeks. The in vitro cytotoxicity test and in vitro degradation showed that the OAEU hydrogel was non-cytotoxic and biodegradable. The in vitro release of doxorubicin from this OAEU hydrogel was sustained for more than 10 days. This injectable biodegradable pH/temperature-sensitive OAEU hydrogel is a potential candidate as a drug/protein carrier and in biomedical applications.