epiglucan and hydroxyethyl-methacrylate

Salecan is a novel water-soluble extracellular β-glucan and possesses excellent physicochemical and biological properties. Here, redox/pH dual stimuli-responsive hydrogel based on Salecan grafted with itaconic acid (IA) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) were prepared using disulfide-functionalized crosslinker N,N-bis(acryloyl)cystamine (BAC) for controlled drug delivery. The introduction of carboxylic groups endows the system with pH-sensitive character, swelling behavior of the hydrogel was conducted by changing the pH and Salecan content. It was demonstrated that DOX was efficiently loaded into the hydrogels and released in a controlled fashion via pH-control and swelling-shrinking mechanism. More importantly, DOX-loaded hydrogels showed dose dependent cytotoxicity toward A549 cell, and efficient cell killing was observed. Furthermore, a key point of this study was that the presence of disulfide linkage in system favored the degradation of hydrogels in the reductive environment. These results highlight the potential of Salecan-g-SS-poly(IA-co-HEMA) hydrogel as a novel system for the controlled release of anti-cancer drugs.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; beta-Glucans; Doxorubicin; Drug Delivery Systems; Hydrogels; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Methacrylates; Oxidation-Reduction

Salecan is a novel water-soluble, high molecular mass extracellular β-glucan produced by Agrobacterium sp. ZX09. Salecan has excellent physicochemical and biological properties, making it very suitable for hydrogel preparation. In this study, a series of novel semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels containing Salecan and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide-co-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) (poly(DMAA-co-HEMA)) were synthesized by radical polymerization and semi-IPN technology. Structure and morphology of the hydrogels were characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA and SEM. The semi-IPNs had a well-interconnected porous structure with tunable pore size ranging from 6 to 41μm. Swelling capability of the hydrogels was improved by introducing the hydrophilic Salecan. Rheological results indicated that the incorporation of poly(DMAA-co-HEMA) into hydrogels enhanced the storage modulus. Compression tests revealed that these semi-IPNs were robust materials with compressive modulus between 13.3 and 90.5kPa, the addition of Salecan increased the fracture strain from 71.1% to 88.8%. Degradation and cytotoxicity tests demonstrated that semi-IPNs were degradable and non-toxic.

Topics: Acrylamides; Animals; beta-Glucans; Chlorocebus aethiops; COS Cells; Hydrogel, Polyethylene Glycol Dimethacrylate; Methacrylates; Polymers; Rheology; X-Ray Diffraction