UV-prepared salep-based nanoporous hydrogel for controlled release of tetracycline hydrochloride in colon

Construction of a Mesoporous Polydopamine@GO/Cellulose Nanofibril Composite Hydrogel with an Encapsulation Structure for Controllable Drug Release and Toxicity Shielding

The development of intelligent and multifunctional hydrogels having photothermal properties, good mechanical properties, sustained drug release abilities with low burst release, antibacterial properties, and biocompatibility is highly desirable in the biomaterial field. Herein, mesoporous polydopamine (MPDA) nanoparticles wrapped with graphene oxide (GO) were physically cross-linked in cellulose nanofibril (CNF) hydrogel to obtain a novel MPDA@GO/CNF composite hydrogel for controllable drug release. MPDA nanoparticles exhibited a high drug loading ratio (up to 35 wt %) for tetracycline hydrochloride (TH). GO was used to encapsulate MPDA nanoparticles for extending the drug release time and reinforcing the physical strength of the obtained hydrogel. The mechanical strength of the as-fabricated MPDA@GO/CNF composite hydrogel was five times greater compared to that of the pure CNF hydrogel. Drug release experiments demonstrated that burst release behavior was significantly reduced by adding MPDA@GO. The drug release time of the MPDA@GO/CNF composite hydrogel was 3 times and 7.2 times longer than that of the polydopamine/CNF hydrogel and pure CNF hydrogel, respectively. The sustained and controlled drug release behaviors of the composite hydrogel were highly dependent on the proportion of MPDA and GO. Moreover, the rate of drug release could be accelerated by near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation and pH value change. The drug release kinetics of the as-prepared composite hydrogel was well described by the Korsmeyer-Peppas model, and the drug release mechanism of TH from the composite hydrogel was anomalous transport. Importantly, this carefully designed MPDA@GO/CNF composite hydrogel showed good biocompatibility through an in vitro cytotoxicity test. In particular, the toxicity of GO was well shielded by the CNF hydrogel. Therefore, this novel MPDA@GO/CNF composite hydrogel with an encapsulation structure for controllable drug release and toxicity shielding of GO could be used as a very promising controlled drug delivery carrier, which may have potential applications for chemical and physical therapies.

Synthesis and Swelling Behavior of pH-Sensitive Semi-IPN Superabsorbent Hydrogels Based on Poly(acrylic acid) Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

pH-sensitive poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogel reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) was prepared. Acrylic acid (AA) was subjected to chemical cross-linking using the cross-linking agent MBA (N,N-methylenebisacrylamide) with CNC entrapped in the PAA matrix. The quantity of CNC was varied between 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt %. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data showed an increase in crystallinity with the addition of CNC, while rheology tests demonstrated a significant increase in the storage modulus of the hydrogel with an increase in CNC content. It was found that the hydrogel reached maximum swelling at pH 7. The potential of the resulting hydrogels to act as drug carriers was then evaluated by means of the drug encapsulation efficiency test using theophylline as a model drug. It was observed that 15% CNC/PAA hydrogel showed the potential to be used as drug carrier system.

Temperature-Responsive Smart Nanocarriers for Delivery Of Therapeutic Agents: Applications and Recent Advances

Smart drug delivery systems (DDSs) have attracted the attention of many scientists, as carriers that can be stimulated by changes in environmental parameters such as temperature, pH, light, electromagnetic fields, mechanical forces, etc. These smart nanocarriers can release their cargo on demand when their target is reached and the stimulus is applied. Using the techniques of nanotechnology, these nanocarriers can be tailored to be target-specific, and exhibit delayed or controlled release of drugs. Temperature-responsive nanocarriers are one of most important groups of smart nanoparticles (NPs) that have been investigated during the past decades. Temperature can either act as an external stimulus when heat is applied from the outside, or can be internal when pathological lesions have a naturally elevated termperature. A low critical solution temperature (LCST) is a special feature of some polymeric materials, and most of the temperature-responsive nanocarriers have been designed based on this feature. In this review, we attempt to summarize recent efforts to prepare innovative temperature-responsive nanocarriers and discuss their novel applications.

Click reactive microgels as a strategy towards chemically injectable hydrogels

Doubly crosslinked microgels (DX microgels) are hydrogels constructed by covalently interlinked microgel particles, offering two levels of hierarchy within the network, the first one being the microgel and the second being the interlinked microgel network.

Preparation of PVA nanocomposites using salep-reduced graphene oxide with enhanced mechanical and biological properties

Hydrogel and film nanocomposites based on PVA with desired mechanical properties are prepared using salep functionalized rGO and proposed as new biomaterials for tissue engineering applications.

Synthesis of a novel supermagnetic iron oxide nanocomposite hydrogel based on graft copolymerization of poly((2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) onto salep for controlled release of drug

In this research, a novel supermagnetic iron oxide nanocomposite hydrogel was prepared using simultaneous in situ formation of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONs) and three-dimensional cross-linked polymer networks based on graft copolymerization of poly((2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate) (PDMA) onto salep (PDMA-g-salep). The prepared ION-PDMA-g-salep hydrogel was systematically characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDAX), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). In addition, the ION-PDMA-g-salep hydrogel exhibits favorable swelling properties that are sensitive to temperature, pH, and external magnetic field (EMF). The drug release behavior of the prepared hydrogel under EMF, different temperatures and pHs was also studied for the evaluation of the release mechanism and determination of diffusion coefficients. Finally, the antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity studies of the prepared hydrogel were examined. These results suggested that the ION-PDMA-g-salep hydrogel could be a promising candidate for biological dressing applications.