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Thermally Responsive Hydrogel Blends: A General Drug Carrier Model for Controlled Drug Release
Author(s) -
Ma Chongbo,
Shi Ye,
Pena Danilo A.,
Peng Lele,
Yu Guihua
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1521-3757
pISSN - 0044-8249
DOI - 10.1002/ange.201501705
Subject(s) - lower critical solution temperature , self healing hydrogels , chemical engineering , polymer , drug , materials science , drug carrier , controlled release , poly(n isopropylacrylamide) , polymer chemistry , chemistry , drug delivery , nanotechnology , composite material , copolymer , pharmacology , medicine , engineering
Thermally responsive hydrogels have drawn significant research attention recently because of their simple use as drug carrier at human body temperature. Here we design a hybrid hydrogel that incorporates a hydrophilic polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI), into the thermally responsive hydrogel poly( N ‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm), as a general drug carrier model for controlled drug release. In this work, on one hand, PEI modifies the structure and the size of the pores in the PNIPAm hydrogel. On the other hand, PEI plays an important role in tuning the water content in the hydrogel and controls the water release rate of the hydrogel below the lower critical solution temperature (LCST), resulting in a tunable release rate of the drugs at human body temperature (37 °C). Different release rates are shown as different amounts of PEI are incorporated. PEI controls the release rate, dependent on the charge characteristics of the drugs. The hydrogel blends described in this work extend the concept of a general drug carrier for loading both positively and negatively charged drugs, as well as the controlled release effect.