Issue 45, 2015

Heparin-based temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogels for protein delivery

Abstract

Stimuli-sensitive injectable hydrogels, composed of biodegradable copolymers, have emerged as prominent candidate materials for the sustained delivery of therapeutic drugs. In this study, we developed a biodegradable and temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogel system based on heparin-bearing poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide)-b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone-co-lactide) (Hep–PCLA) as the carrier system for lysozyme. Hep–PCLA conjugates are capable of undergoing temperature-induced sol-to-gel transitions in an aqueous solution. The gelation rate, mechanical strength, and viscosity of Hep–PCLA conjugates are controllably tunable by varying the graft density of PCLA copolymers to heparin. The gel window in which Hep–PCLA forms a gel covers the physiological conditions (37 °C), i.e., free flowing Hep–PCLA in aqueous solutions (25 °C) could form a hydrogel at body temperature. Using an in vitro cytotoxicity test, Hep–PCLA conjugates were found to be non-toxic to fibroblast cells, even at high concentrations. Lysozyme, chosen as a model protein, was effectively loaded into Hep–PCLA conjugates using ionic and hydrophobic interactions. The lysozyme-loaded conjugates readily formed a hydrogel when implanted in the back of Sprague-Dawley rats, and retarded the initial burst of lysozyme release, exhibiting sustained release. Our results show that biodegradable, temperature-sensitive injectable Hep–PCLA hydrogels can be used as sustained protein carriers.

Graphical abstract: Heparin-based temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogels for protein delivery

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
14 Jūl. 2015
Accepted
12 Okt. 2015
First published
13 Okt. 2015

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015,3, 8892-8901

Heparin-based temperature-sensitive injectable hydrogels for protein delivery

H. J. Sim, T. Thambi and D. S. Lee, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2015, 3, 8892 DOI: 10.1039/C5TB01399B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements