Abstract
In this study, we fabricated and characterized a smart shear-thinning hydrogel composed of gelatin and laponite for localized drug delivery. We added chitosan (Chi) and poly N-isopropylacrylamide-co-Acrylic acid (PNIPAM) particles to the shear-thinning gel to render it pH-responsive. The effects of total solid weight and the percentage of laponite in a solid mass on the rheological behavior and mechanical properties were investigated to obtain the optimum formulation. The nanocomposite gel and particles were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), zeta potential, and dynamic light scattering techniques. Finally, release related experiment including degradability, swelling and Rhodamine B (Rd) release at various pH were performed. The results suggest that incorporation of silicate nanoplatelets in the gelatin led to the formation of the tunable porous composite, with a microstructure that was affected by introducing particles. Besides, the optimum formulation possessed shear-thinning properties with modified rheological and mechanical properties which preserved its mechanical properties while incubated in physiological conditions. The release related experiments showed that the shear-thinning materials offer pH-sensitive behavior so that the highest swelling ratio, degradation rate, and Rd release were obtained at pH 9.18. Therefore, this nanocomposite gel can be potentially used to develop pH-sensitive systems.
Highlights
Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) networks of hydrophilic polymers that can absorb water up to thousands times of their dry weight while preserving their structure [1]
Different compositions of shear-thinning hydrogel composites are labelled as xNCy (Table 1) where x is the total solid weight percent% (w/v) and y represents the percentage of laponite in solid mass% (w/w)
This study presents a smart, injectable drug delivery system, engineered by introducing Chi and PNIPAM pH responsive particles to a gelatin-laponite shear-thinning gel
Summary
Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) networks of hydrophilic polymers that can absorb water up to thousands times of their dry weight while preserving their structure [1]. Hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical researches as cell culture substrates and drug depots for tissue engineering and delivery of therapeutic applications [3,4,5,6]. They are potentially able to have environmental stimuli-responsive properties so that they can undergo a volumetric phase transition in response to pH or ion changes in the environment [3]. Injectable hydrogels have received significant attention because they can be delivered to the site of interest using minimally-invasive approaches.
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