Injectable in situ cross-linking hyaluronic acid/carboxymethyl cellulose based hydrogels for drug release

Abstract

A series of injectable in situ cross-linking hyaluronic acid/carboxymethyl cellulose based hydrogels (HA/CMC) was prepared via disulfide bonds by the oxidation of dissolved oxygen. The results showed that HA/CMC hydrogels exhibited tunable gelling time, appropriate rheology properties, high swelling ratio, good stability, and sustained drug release ability. The gelling time of HA/CMC hydrogels ranged from 1.4 to 7.0 min, and the values of the storage modulus, complex shear modulus, dynamic viscosity, and yield stress of HA3/CMC3 hydrogel were about 5869 Pa, 5870 Pa, 587 Pa·s, and 1969 Pa, respectively. The degradation percentage of HA1/CMC1, HA2/CMC2, and HA3/CMC3 hydrogels were about 60, 49, and 41% after incubating 42 days, and the in vitro cumulative release percentage of BSA from HA1/CMC1, HA2/CMC2, and HA3/CMC3 drug-loaded hydrogels were about 99, 91, and 82% after 30 days. The series of injectable in situ cross-linking HA/CMC hydrogels exhibited good comprehensive performance, signifying that these hydrogels could be potentially used in the fields of short- and medium-term controlled drug release, cell encapsulation, regenerative medicine, and tissue engineering.

Keywords:

• Hyaluronic acid
• carboxymethyl cellulose
• disulfide bond
• hydrogel
• injectable
• drug release

Acknowledgment

This work was financially supported by the [Scientific Research Foundation of Southwest University of Science and Technology of China] under Grant [number 17zx7121]; [Longshan academic talent research supporting program of Southwest University of Science and Technology of China] under Grant [number 17LZXT02]; and [National Engineering Technology Center for Insulation Materials, Southwest University of Science and Technology of China] under Grant [number 16kfjc02].