Abstract
Wood (cellulose and lignin)-based hydrogels were successfully produced as platforms for drug-release systems. Viscoelastic and cross-linking behaviors of precursor solutions were tuned to produce highly porous hydrogel architectures via freeze-drying. Pore sizes in the range of 100–160 μm were obtained. Varying lignin molecular structure played a key role in tailoring swelling and mechanical performance of these gels with organosolv-type lignin showing optimum properties due to its propensity for intermolecular cross-linking, achieving a compressive modulus around 11 kPa. Paracetamol was selected as a standard drug for release tests and its release rate was improved with the presence of lignin (50% more compared to pure cellulose hydrogels). This was attributed to a reduction in molecular interactions between paracetamol and cellulose. These results highlight the potential for the valorization of lignin as a platform for drug-release systems.
Highlights
Controlled release systems allow tuning of drug dosage to specific rates, this keeps the drug concentration at an effective therapeutic level, thereby maximizing its effect within the body
There have only been a few studies on the usage of lignin for high-value applications, for example, the production of carbon-based materials such as carbon fibers for composites or nanostructured anode batteries.[30−36] Uniquely, for a natural polymer, lignin is a natural source of phenolics and its branched molecular structure can be functionalized to produce tailored hydrogels for varying applications
Taking organosolv lignin as an example, the porous structure remained similar at the three different ratios of lignin to cellulose (95:5, 90:10, and 75:25), higher values were obtained for the cellulose/TCA ratio 95:05
Summary
Controlled release systems allow tuning of drug dosage to specific rates, this keeps the drug concentration at an effective therapeutic level, thereby maximizing its effect within the body. There have only been a few studies on the usage of lignin for high-value applications, for example, the production of carbon-based materials such as carbon fibers for composites or nanostructured anode batteries.[30−36] Uniquely, for a natural polymer, lignin is a natural source of phenolics and its branched molecular structure can be functionalized to produce tailored hydrogels for varying applications. Looking at this scenario, this work focuses on the development of wood-derived hydrogels composed of Received: November 2, 2020 Revised: January 13, 2021 Published: January 22, 2021.
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