Smart Shear-Thinning Hydrogels as Injectable Drug Delivery Systems
Date
2018
Authors
Gharaie, Sadaf Samimi
Mohammad Hossein Dabiri, Seyed
Akbari, Mohsen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Polymers
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.
Description
Keywords
shear-thinning, hydrogels, pH-responsive, gelatin, laponite, chitosan, N-isopropylacrylamide, nanocomposite, Laboratory for Innovations in Micro Engineering (LiME), Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technology (CAMTEC), Centre for Biomedical Research
Citation
Gharaie, S.S., Dabiri, S.M.H. & Akbari, M. (2018). Smart Shear-Thinning Hydrogels as Injectable Drug Delivery Systems. Polymers, 10(12), 1317. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym10121317