Jul 2026· Journal of Colloid and Interface Science· Vol 724 Pt 2, pp.
141193
· 0 citations· 65 references
Medicine
TL;DR
Results establish PDA-mediated non-covalent reinforcement as an effective crosslinker-free strategy for engineering thermoresponsive hydrogels with tunable network mechanics and controllable NIR-responsive drug transport for localized chemo-photothermal therapy.
Abstract
Thermoresponsive Pluronic-based hydrogels are promising injectable drug delivery platforms but are often limited by weak mechanical integrity and control over drug transport. In this study, we report a polydopamine (PDA)-reinforced Pluronic F127/chitosan composite hydrogel, PCP-DOX, designed to strengthen network integrity and enable near-infrared (NIR)-responsive release without chemical crosslinkers. We have characterized the composite hydrogel for microstructure, rheology, and release kinetics, with photothermal performance and in vitro therapeutic efficacy evaluated under 808 nm NIR irradiation. We found a progressive network densification observed by electron microscopy together with a threefold increase in elastic modulus from approximately 11 kPa to 29 kPa. PCP-DOX exhibited a DOX entrapment efficiency of 98.24 ± 0.20%, indicating effective drug retention. Cumulative doxorubicin (DOX) release at 72 h decreased from 85.5% to 73.3% in the composite relative to the Pluronic-only system. Korsmeyer-Peppas modeling provided the best fit for the release kinetics, suggesting Fickian diffusion-governed transport, with the diffusion exponent increasing from 0.2975 to 0.4531 in the composite system, indicating enhanced diffusional resistance within the network. NIR irradiation at 1.0 W/cm2 enabled transient photothermal modulation of the composite network, producing stepwise release enhancement across repeated irradiation cycles. In vitro studies confirmed cytocompatibility of the blank hydrogel carrier, and combined NIR and DOX treatment yielded greater cytotoxicity than either modality alone, where the predominant cell death mechanism was determined to be apoptosis. These results establish PDA-mediated non-covalent reinforcement as an effective crosslinker-free strategy for engineering thermoresponsive hydrogels with tunable network mechanics and controllable NIR-responsive drug transport for localized chemo-photothermal therapy.
In this study, a dual-responsive composite hydrogels were successfully developed using pH-sensitive chitosan (Cs) and the thermosensitive polymer Pluronic F-127 (PF-127) to explore its potential for drug delivery. The NaOH treatment was employed to modify the hydrogen-bonding interactions within Cs, enabling designed molecular organization prior to its incorporation into PF-127. This strategy effectively tuned the sol gel transition behaviour and viscosity of the system, resulting in an LCST (lower critical solution temperature) of approximately 37 °C ideal for biological applications. In cytotoxicity assays, the PF-127-Cs hydrogel exhibited potent cytotoxic effects at physiological pH (7.4), reducing cell viability, the DOX-loaded PF-127/Cs hydrogel showed significantly enhanced anticancer activity, reducing neuroblastoma cell viability to approximately 10% and 6% at 200 µg mL-1 after 48 and 72 h, respectively. In contrast, under acidic conditions (pH 5.5), cytotoxicity was markedly reduced, with cell viability remaining around 50% and 46%. This pH-dependent behavior demonstrates that the composite hydrogel not only integrates thermal and pH responsiveness but also provides stable performance and controlled drug-release characteristics. These findings suggest that the hydrogel is a promising material for an injectable, localized drug-delivery platform in cancer therapy, offering a smart and adaptive treatment modality.
Priyanka Chaudhary, Tzu-Chun Lin, Y. Tsai et al.· Colloids and Surfaces B: Bio...· 0 citations
This work presents a mechanically robust, highly efficient, and exceptionally safe light-activated platform for advanced wound dressing applications and demonstrates strict biosafety without collateral phototoxicity.
Nanofibers-reinforced hydrogels offer improved mechanical properties as compared to classic hydrogels and can potentially better support cell viability and cell therapy outcomes. Here, we optimized polycaprolactone (PCL) short nanofibers production and combined them with a soft hydrogel based on kappa-carrageenan and gelatin type B (kCGb) to perform umbilical cord pericyte (UCP) delivery and promote re-endothelialization of injured blood vessels. Electrospinning of PCL identified 12.5% w/v concentration, 0.5 mL/h flow rate, 21 kV voltage, and 6.8 m/s drum collector speed as optimal parameters for aligned beadless nanofibers. Coaxial PCL/gelatin type A (Ga) fibers were successfully produced with diameters of 180-190 nm (core) and 225-245 nm (shell). The Ga acts as a temporary shell, which was removed during postfabrication processing by washing the nanofibers with deionized water (DIW) at 37°C for 30 min. Mechanical cryostat cutting generated short nanofibers (~75 μm ± 28 μm) with higher yields from coaxial mats (2 × 106 fibers/mL ± 1.6 × 105 fibers/mL) compared to single PCL mats (5 × 104 fibers/mL ± 1.3 × 104 fibers/mL). kCGb hydrogel showed a significant improvement in mechanical properties when reinforced with short PCL nanofibers. The recovery percentage, measured using rheology, increased from 12.1% ± 0.3% to 90.9% ± 0.4% when a small amount (0.05 wt%) of short PCL nanofibers was added. The injection force using clinically relevant needles of 0.5kC2Gb0.05PCL was about ~37 N, and there was no significant reduction in UCPs viability after injection up to 1 week of culture. Injection delivery of kCGbPCL mixed with UCPs (1 × 106 cells/mL) in an ex vivo model of porcine artery injury led to a marked improvement in endothelial coverage from 47.2% ± 19.1% in the injured artery to 76.5% ± 13.2% after cell therapy, with a restoration index of about 89.8% after 1 week of culture. These results represent a further step toward developing physically cross-linked and mechanically stable injectable scaffolds for different applications, such as drug delivery, 3D printing, in vitro modeling, and tissue engineering.
A. Jawad, C. Heiss, V. Stolojan et al.· Journal of Biomedical Materi...· 0 citations
As a smart drug carrier, photosensitive hydrogels enable controlled drug release. Here, using polydopamine (PDA) as a photothermal agent additive, a smart PDA/SA hydrogel was constructed by ionic crosslinking of sodium alginate (SA). The PDA/SA hydrogels displayed an ideal capacity for sustained ibuprofen (IBU) release. In vitro release experiments showed that the release of IBU from PDA/SA hydrogels was affected by NIR light. The amount of IBU released from the PDA/SA hydrogel after NIR irradiation was higher than that from the SA hydrogel without NIR irradiation. The PDA/SA hydrogel effectively removed hydroxyl and DPPH radicals, and the scavenging efficiency reached 95.7% and 87.6%. In vitro studies demonstrated that the PDA/SA hydrogels exhibited strong oxidation resistance and excellent cytocompatibility. The hydrogel easily adhered to the surface of skin and the adhesive strength reached 3.8 kPa. Rheological analysis revealed that PDA introduction increased the storage modulus (G') in a frequency-dependent manner, indicative of enhanced physical crosslinking. In summary, the PDA/SA hydrogels possessed increased drug release ability under NIR light, and exhibited excellent cytocompatibility, and prominent antioxidant and tissue adhesion properties. This photosensitive PDA/SA hydrogel is expected to be widely used in the field of drug carriers.
Shuo Wang, Xiuling Lin, Ge Meng et al.· Journal of materials chemist...· 0 citations
Hydrogel patches are promising platforms for transdermal drug delivery; however, their clinical applicability is often limited by excessive swelling, which compromises adhesion stability and may provoke tissue inflammation. Herein, we report the incorporation of kaolin nanosheets (NKLS) and kaolin nanoscrolls (NKLC) into chitosan/poly(vinyl alcohol) (CS/PVA)-based hydrogels to concurrently suppress swelling, augment interfacial interactions, and reconstruct drug storage microdomains. Compared to the pristine CS/PVA control, the CS/NKLC/PVA patch demonstrated a 139.91% higher BET surface area and a significantly lower swelling ratio of 18.74% in PBS (pH 6.0), which corresponds to a 63.59% reduction. Both CS/NKLS/PVA and CS/NKLC/PVA patches exhibited excellent mechanical properties. Compared with the pristine CS/PVA control, their adhesive stress was increased by 26.48% and 16.55%, respectively, and both patches maintained stable adhesion after 10 peeling-adhesion cycles. Drug release rates reached 82.37% and 86.78% for the respective patches, with Fickian diffusion identified as the dominant release mechanism. The incorporation of nanokaolin resulted in a denser crosslinked network that restricted chain relaxation and subsequent swelling. Additionally, NKLS introduced additional interfaces and adsorption sites, increasing the tortuosity of drug diffusion pathways, while the hollow tubular structure of NKLC provided enhanced drug storage space and diffusion channels. Furthermore, both CS/NKLS/PVA and CS/NKLC/PVA patches exhibited excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In conclusion, these nanokaolin-modified hydrogel patches demonstrate substantial potential for transdermal drug delivery and wound dressing applications.
Zuyong Zhang, Yingying Qiang, Jiawei Zhang et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
Optimizing conventional hydrogels is crucial for their broader and more effective biomedical applications. This study aims to enhance the mechanical properties and biofunctions of physically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels by introducing silica (SiO
2
) and Pluronic 127 (F127), eventually resulting in a novel PVA‐SiO
2
‐F127 composite hydrogel with a weight ratio of 7:3:5. The obtained hydrogels exhibited a super‐hydrophilic surface (contact angle of ~0°) and a more compact network than pure PVA hydrogels, as confirmed by the SEM analysis. The addition of SiO
2
effectively improved the compatibility between PVA and F127 through mutual hydrogen bonding, which was verified by the FT‐IR results. Meanwhile, it endowed the PVA hydrogels with an excellent ability to form bone‐like apatite. The further incorporation of F127 enhanced the compressive strength of the PVA hydrogels by 144% (from 0.09 to 0.22 MPa at 70% strain) and accelerated the weight loss from 11.1% to 31.5% over 10 days in PBS, while maintaining a high swelling capacity of 616.7%. In addition, the feasibility of the composite hydrogel as a carrier of bovine serum albumin (BSA) was evaluated at different temperatures (4°C, 25°C, 37°C, and 45°C). Results revealed a temperature‐dependent, sustained BSA release profile over 240 h, with an optimal release behavior at 37°C (body temperature). The release kinetics were synergistically controlled by diffusion and erosion processes. Compared to PVA hydrogels, the composite hydrogels minimized the initial burst release and prolonged the stability of BSA over extended periods, thereby highlighting their potential applications in wound healing and tissue engineering.
Yan-Qi Li, Jin-Heng Liu, Guangxin Wang et al.· Polymer Engineering & Sc...· 0 citations
