Peer-Reviewed Journal Details
Mandatory Fields
Ziminska M.;Wilson J.J.;McErlean E.;Dunne N.;McCarthy H.O.
2020
June
Materials
Synthesis and evaluation of a thermoresponsive degradable chitosan-grafted PNIPAAm hydrogel as a "smart" gene delivery system
Published
2 ()
Optional Fields
Drug delivery Hydrogel Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles Thermoresponsive
13
11
© 2020 by the authors. Thermoresponsive hydrogels demonstrate tremendous potential as sustained drug delivery systems. However, progress has been limited as formulation of a stable biodegradable thermosensitive hydrogel remains a significant challenge. In this study, free radical polymerization was exploited to formulate a biodegradable thermosensitive hydrogel characterized by sustained drug release. Highly deacetylated chitosan and N-isopropylacrylamide with distinctive physical properties were employed to achieve a stable, hydrogel network at body temperature. The percentage of chitosan was altered within the copolymer formulations and the subsequent physical properties were characterized using 1H-NMR, FTIR, and TGA. Viscoelastic, swelling, and degradation properties were also interrogated. The thermoresponsive hydrogels were loaded with RALA/pEGFP-N1 nanoparticles and release was examined. There was sustained release of nanoparticles over three weeks and, more importantly, the nucleic acid cargo remained functional and this was confirmed by successful transfection of the NCTC-929 fibroblast cell line. This tailored thermoresponsive hydrogel offers an option for sustained delivery of macromolecules over a prolonged considerable period.
1996-1944
10.3390/ma13112530
Grant Details