Molecular design of novel pH/temperature-sensitive hydrogels

Development of a Composite Hydrogel Containing Statistically Optimized PDGF-Loaded Polymeric Nanospheres for Skin Regeneration: In Vitro Evaluation and Stem Cell Differentiation Studies

Platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) is a polypeptide growth factor generated by platelet granules faced to cytokines. It plays a role in forming and remodeling various tissue types, including epithelial tissue, through interaction with cell-surface receptors on most mesenchymal origin cells. However, it breaks down quickly in biological fluids, emphasizing the importance of preserving them from biodegradation. To address this challenge, we formulated and evaluated PDGF-encapsulated nanospheres (PD@PCEC) using polycaprolactone-polyethylene glycol-polycaprolactone. PD@PCECs were fabricated through the triple emulsion methodology and optimized by using the Box-Behnken design. The encapsulation efficiency (EE) of nanoencapsulated PDGF-BB was investigated concerning four variables: stirring rate (X1), stirring duration (X2), poly(vinyl alcohol) concentration (X3), and PDGF-BB concentration (X4). The selected optimized nanospheres were integrated into a gelatin-collagen scaffold (PD@PCEC@GC) and assessed for morphology, biocompatibility, in vitro release, and differentiation-inducing activity in human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). The optimized PD@PCEC nanospheres exhibited a particle size of 177.9 ± 91 nm, a zeta potential of 5.2 mV, and an EE of 87.7 ± 0.44%. The release profile demonstrated approximately 85% of loaded PDGF-BB released during the first 360 h, with a sustained release over the entire 504 h period, maintaining bioactivity of 87.3%. The study also included an evaluation of the physicochemical properties of the scaffolds and an assessment of hADSC adhesion to the scaffold's surface. Additionally, hADSCs cultivated within the scaffold effectively differentiated into keratinocyte-like cells (KLCs) over 21 days, evidenced by morphological changes and upregulation of keratinocyte-specific genes, including cytokeratin 18, cytokeratin 19, and involucrin, at both transcriptional and protein levels.

Biodegradable and Injectable Hydrogels in Biomedical Applications

Injectable hydrogels are a unique class of hydrogels that are formed upon injection into living bodies. They possess features of typical hydrogels such as softness, 3D network structures, large contents of water, the ability to load water-soluble substances, and so on. Furthermore, their injectability allows injectable hydrogels to be implanted into living bodies using a syringe in a minimally invasive way. After being loaded with different active substances (drugs, proteins, genes, viruses, cells, etc.), injectable hydrogels have been demonstrated to be potential in many different biomedical applications including controlled release and tissue engineering. However, biodegradability is also an important property of injectable hydrogels and allows removal of the hydrogels after accomplishment of their tasks. In this Perspective, we aim at introducing several different types of biodegradable and injectable hydrogels and compare their differences in properties and applications. Lastly, we also point out some remaining problems and future trends in the field of biodegradable and injectable hydrogels.

Effect of Molecular Weight on Gelling and Viscoelastic Properties of Poly(caprolactone)-b-Poly(ethylene glycol)-b-Poly(caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL) Hydrogels

Hydrogels based on poly(caprolactone)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL) have been evaluated extensively as potential injectable fillers or depots for controlled release of drugs. Common drawbacks of these copolymer systems include instability of aqueous solutions and low mechanical strength of gels, issues which are commonly overcome by adding pendant groups to the end of the copolymer chains. Here, a systematic study of the effects of increasing polymer molecular weight (MW) is presented, utilizing PEG blocks of MW 2, 4 or 8 kDa. Triblock copolymers were prepared by the ring-opening polymerization of Ɛ-caprolactone by PEG. Copolymers prepared with PEG MW 2 kDa did not form hydrogels at any copolymer molecular weight. Copolymers prepared with PEG MW 4 kDa formed gels at MW between 11 and 13.5 kDa, and copolymers prepared with PEG MW 8 kDa formed gels at MW between 16 and 18 kDa. Copolymers with PEG block 8 kDa formed hydrogels with high viscosity (17,000 Pa·s) and mechanical strength (G' = 14,000 Pa). The increased gel strength afforded by increased molecular weight represents a simple modification of the reactants used in the reaction feed without added synthetic or purification steps. Shear-thinning of PCL-PEG-PCL triblock copolymer hydrogels allowed for injection through a standard 23G syringe, allowing for potential use as dermal fillers or drug delivery depots.

Smart Hydrogels - Synthetic Stimuli-Responsive Antitumor Drug Release Systems

Among modern drug formulations, stimuli-responsive hydrogels also called "smart hydrogels" deserve a special attention. The basic feature of this system is the ability to change their mechanical properties, swelling ability, hydrophilicity, bioactive molecules permeability, etc., influenced by various stimuli, such as temperature, pH, electromagnetic radiation, magnetic field and biological factors. Therefore, stimuli-responsive matrices can be potentially used in tissue engineering, cell cultures and technology of innovative drug delivery systems (DDSs), releasing the active substances under the control of internal or external stimuli. Moreover, smart hydrogels can be used as injectable DDSs, due to gel-sol transition connected with in situ cross-linking process. Innovative smart hydrogel DDSs can be utilized as matrices for targeted therapy, which enhances the effectiveness of tumor chemotherapy and subsequently limits systemic toxicity. External stimulus sensitivity allows remote control over the drug release profile and gel formation. On the other hand, internal factors provide drg accumulation in tumor tissue and reduce the concentration of active drug form in healthy tissue. In this report, we summarise the basic knowledge and chemical strategies for the synthetic smart hydrogel DDSs applied in antitumor therapy.

Injectable thermosensitive hydrogel systems based on functional PEG/PCL block polymer for local drug delivery

Injectable in situ thermosensitive hydrogels have potential applications in tissue engineering and drug delivery. The hydrogel formulations exist as aqueous solutions at room temperature but rapidly solidify into gels at 37 °C in situ, making them highly suitable for administering drugs in a minimally invasive manner to the target organ(s). The hydrogel formed with nanoparticles assembled with amphiphilic polymer blocks of polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) have been tested as platforms for targeted and sustained drug delivery, and have shown encouraging results. In this review, we summarize the influence of the molecular weight, PEG/PCL ratio and functional structure of hydrophobic PCL blocks on the critical gelation temperature, gelling behavior and drug release kinetics of the hydrogels. The current studies on the biomedical applications of thermosensitive PEG/PCL hydrogels have also been discussed.

A novel sulfamethazine-based pH-sensitive copolymer for injectable radiopaque embolic hydrogels with potential application in hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

After transcatheter delivery through hepatic artery, a hydrogel can be formed within tumor vasculature by the decrease of environmental pH, block the blood vessel and control the release of loaded anticancer drugs.

Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs

Hydrogels are three-dimensional materials that can withstand a great amount of water incorporation while maintaining integrity. This allows hydrogels to be very unique biomedical materials, especially for drug delivery. Much effort has been made to incorporate hydrophilic molecules in hydrogels in the field of drug delivery, while loading of hydrophobic drugs has not been vastly studied. However, in recent years, research has also been conducted on incorporating hydrophobic molecules within hydrogel matrices for achieving a steady release of drugs to treat various ailments. Here, we summarize the types of hydrogels used as drug delivery vehicles, various methods to incorporate hydrophobic molecules in hydrogel matrices, and the potential therapeutic applications of hydrogels in cancer.

Bioactive factor delivery strategies from engineered polymer hydrogels for therapeutic medicine

Polymer hydrogels have been widely explored as therapeutic delivery matrices because of their ability to present sustained, localized and controlled release of bioactive factors. Bioactive factor delivery from injectable biopolymer hydrogels provides a versatile approach to treat a wide variety of diseases, to direct cell function and to enhance tissue regeneration. The innovative development and modification of both natural-(e.g., alginate (ALG), chitosan, hyaluronic acid (HA), gelatin, heparin (HEP), etc.) and synthetic-(e.g., polyesters, polyethyleneimine (PEI), etc.) based polymers has resulted in a variety of approaches to design drug delivery hydrogel systems from which loaded therapeutics are released. This review presents the state-of-the-art in a wide range of hydrogels that are formed though self-assembly of polymers and peptides, chemical crosslinking, ionic crosslinking and biomolecule recognition. Hydrogel design for bioactive factor delivery is the focus of the first section. The second section then thoroughly discusses release strategies of payloads from hydrogels for therapeutic medicine, such as physical incorporation, covalent tethering, affinity interactions, on demand release and/or use of hybrid polymer scaffolds, with an emphasis on the last 5 years.

Tertiary-amine-containing thermo- and pH-sensitive hydrophilic ABA triblock copolymers: effect of different tertiary amines on thermally induced sol-gel transitions

This Article reports on the synthesis of a series of well-defined, tertiary-amine-containing ABA triblock copolymers, composed of a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) central block and thermo- and pH-sensitive outer blocks, and the study of the effect of different tertiary amines on thermally induced sol-gel transition temperatures (T(sol-gel)) of their 10 wt % aqueous solutions. The doubly responsive ABA triblock copolymers were prepared from a difunctional PEO macroinitiator by atom transfer radical polymerization of methoxydi(ethylene glycol) methacrylate and ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) methacrylate at a feed molar ratio of 30:70 with ∼5 mol % of either N,N-diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA), N,N-diisopropylaminoethyl methacrylate, or N,N-di(n-butyl)aminoethyl methacrylate. The chain lengths of thermosensitive outer blocks and the molar contents of tertiary amines were very similar for all copolymers. Using rheological measurements, we determined the pH dependences of T(sol-gel) of 10 wt % aqueous solutions of these copolymers in a phosphate buffer. The T(sol-gel) versus pH curves of all polymers exhibited a sigmoidal shape. The T(sol-gel) increased with decreasing pH; the changes were small on both high and low pH sides. At a specific pH, the T(sol-gel) decreased with increasing the hydrophobicity of the tertiary amine, and upon decreasing pH the onset pH value for the T(sol-gel) to begin to increase noticeably was lower for the more hydrophobic tertiary amine-containing copolymer. In addition, we studied the effect of different tertiary amines on the release behavior of FITC-dextran from 10 wt % micellar gels in an acidic medium at 37 and 27 °C. The release profiles for three studied hydrogels at 37 °C were essentially the same, suggesting that the release was dominated by the diffusion of FITC-dextran. At 27 °C, the release was significantly faster for the DEAEMA-containing copolymer, indicating that both diffusion and gel dissolution contributed to the release at this temperature.

Injectable and biodegradable hydrogels: gelation, biodegradation and biomedical applications

Injectable hydrogels with biodegradability have in situ formability which in vitro/in vivo allows an effective and homogeneous encapsulation of drugs/cells, and convenient in vivo surgical operation in a minimally invasive way, causing smaller scar size and less pain for patients. Therefore, they have found a variety of biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, cell encapsulation, and tissue engineering. This critical review systematically summarizes the recent progresses on biodegradable and injectable hydrogels fabricated from natural polymers (chitosan, hyaluronic acid, alginates, gelatin, heparin, chondroitin sulfate, etc.) and biodegradable synthetic polymers (polypeptides, polyesters, polyphosphazenes, etc.). The review includes the novel naturally based hydrogels with high potential for biomedical applications developed in the past five years which integrate the excellent biocompatibility of natural polymers/synthetic polypeptides with structural controllability via chemical modification. The gelation and biodegradation which are two key factors to affect the cell fate or drug delivery are highlighted. A brief outlook on the future of injectable and biodegradable hydrogels is also presented (326 references).

Tuning of thermally induced sol-to-gel transitions of moderately concentrated aqueous solutions of doubly thermosensitive hydrophilic diblock copolymers poly(methoxytri(ethylene glycol) acrylate)-b-poly(ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid)

We report in this article a method to tune the sol-to-gel transitions of moderately concentrated aqueous solutions of doubly thermosensitive hydrophilic diblock copolymers that consist of two blocks exhibiting distinct lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) in water. A small amount of weak acid groups is statistically incorporated into the lower LCST block so that its LCST can be tuned by varying solution pH. Well-defined diblock copolymers, poly(methoxytri(ethylene glycol) acrylate)-b-poly(ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (PTEGMA-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA)), were prepared by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization and postpolymerization modification. PTEGMA and PDEGEA are thermosensitive water-soluble polymers with LCSTs of 58 and 9 °C, respectively, in water. A 25 wt % aqueous solution of PTEGMA-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) with a molar ratio of DEGEA to AA units of 100:5.2 at pH = 3.24 underwent multiple phase transitions upon heating, from a clear, free-flowing liquid (<15 °C) to a clear, free-standing gel (15-46 °C) to a clear, free-flowing hot liquid (47-56 °C), and a cloudy mixture (≥57 °C). With the increase of pH, the sol-to-gel transition temperature (T(sol-gel)) shifted to higher values, while the gel-to-sol transition (T(gel-sol)) and the clouding temperature (T(clouding)) of the sample remained essentially the same. These transitions and the tunability of T(sol-gel) originated from the thermosensitive properties of two blocks of the diblock copolymer and the pH dependence of the LCST of P(DEGEA-co-AA), which were confirmed by dynamic light scattering and differential scanning calorimetry studies. Using the vial inversion test method, we mapped out the C-shaped sol-gel phase diagrams of the diblock copolymer in aqueous buffers in the moderate concentration range at three different pH values (3.24, 5.58, and 5.82, all measured at ~0 °C). While the upper temperature boundaries overlapped, the lower temperature boundary shifted upward and the critical gelation concentration increased with the increase of pH. The AA content in PTEGMA-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) was found to have a significant effect on the pH dependence of T(sol-gel). For PTEGMA-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) with a molar ratio of DEGEA to AA units of 100:10, the T(sol-gel) of its 25 wt % aqueous solution increased faster with the increase of pH than that of PTEGMA-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) with a DEGEA-to-AA molar ratio of 100:5.2.

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.

Rheological properties of aqueous micellar gels of a thermo- and pH-sensitive ABA triblock copolymer

This article presents a systematic study of the effect of pH on the rheological properties of aqueous micellar gels formed from 10.0 wt % aqueous solutions of a thermo- and pH-sensitive ABA triblock copolymer, poly(ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(ethoxydi(ethylene glycol) acrylate-co-acrylic acid) (P(DEGEA-co-AA)-b-PEO-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA)). The block copolymer was synthesized by atom transfer radical polymerization of DEGEA and tert-butyl acrylate with a molar ratio of 100:5 from a difunctional PEO macroinitiator and subsequent removal of tert-butyl groups using trifluoroacetic acid. PDEGEA is a thermosensitive water-soluble polymer with a cloud point of 9 °C in water. The thermo-induced sol-gel transition temperature (T(sol-gel)) of the 10.0 wt % aqueous solution of P(DEGEA-co-AA)-b-PEO-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) can be continuously and reversibly tuned over a wide temperature range by varying the solution pH. The sol-gel transition became broader with the increase of pH, which stemmed from the weaker and broader LCST transition of P(DEGEA-co-AA) blocks at higher pH values. The maximum value of dynamic storage modulus, obtained from heating ramp, and the plateau storage moduli (G(N)), evaluated from frequency sweeps at three normalized temperatures (T/T(sol-gel) = 1.025, 1.032, and 1.039), decreased with the increase of pH from 3.00 to 5.40 with the sharpest drop observed at pH = ∼4.7. The decrease in G(N) reflects the reduction of the number of bridging polymer chains and simultaneously the increase of the numbers of loops and dangling polymer chains. The ionization of carboxylic acid groups at higher pH values introduced charges onto the thermosensitive blocks and made the polymer chains more hydrophilic, facilitating the formation of loops and dangling chains in the gels. The increase in the number of dangling polymer chains with the increase of pH was supported by fluorescence spectroscopy studies, which showed that the critical micelle concentration of P(DEGEA-co-AA)-b-PEO-b-P(DEGEA-co-AA) at a temperature corresponding to T(sol-gel) was higher at a higher pH. The results reported in this article showed that both T(sol-gel) and gel strength can be tuned by varying the solution pH, providing greater design flexibility for potential applications.

Thermosensitive aqueous gels with tunable sol-gel transition temperatures from thermo- and pH-responsive hydrophilic ABA triblock copolymer

This article reports on the synthesis of a well-defined hydrophilic ABA triblock copolymer composed of a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) middle block and thermo- and pH-sensitive outer blocks and the study of sol-gel transitions of its aqueous solutions at various pH values. The doubly responsive linear triblock copolymer, poly(methoxydi(ethylene glycol) methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid)-b-PEO-b-poly(methoxydi(ethylene glycol) methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) (P(DEGMMA-co-MAA)-b-PEO-b-P(DEGMMA-co-MAA)), was prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization of a mixture of DEGMMA and tert-butyl methacrylate with a molar ratio of 100: 5 from a difunctional PEO macroinitiator and subsequent removal of tert-butyl groups using trifluoroacetic acid. Dynamic light scattering studies showed that the critical micellization temperature (CMT) of this ABA triblock copolymer in a 0.2 wt % aqueous solution was dependent on the solution pH and can be varied in a large temperature range (>20 degrees C). To study the sol-gel transitions, a 12.0 wt % aqueous solution of the triblock copolymer with a pH of 4.89 was made; its pH value can be readily changed and well controlled by the injection of either a 1.0 M HCl or a 1.0 M KOH solution. From rheological measurements, the sol-gel transition temperature (T(sol-gel)) versus pH curve was found to closely trace the CMT versus pH curve, though there was a shift. By cycling the solution pH between 3.2 and 5.4, we showed that the T(sol-gel) at a specific pH was reproducible. Moreover, multiple sol-gel-sol transitions were realized by judiciously controlling the temperature and pH simultaneously, demonstrating the possibility of achieving on-demand sol-gel transitions by using two external stimuli. In addition, the effect of polymer concentration on T(sol-gel) at pH = 4.0 was investigated. The sol-gel transition temperature increased with the decrease of polymer concentration and the critical gelation concentration was found to be between 4 and 6 wt %.