PEG-based dually crosslinked injectable hydrogels have been developed through extremely simple chemistry which avoids use of small molecular weight crosslinker, formation of by-products and involved low heat change. The hydrogels are useful for wound healing and soft tissue regeneration.

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Internal structures of agar-gelatin co-hydrogels were investigated as a function of their volumetric mixing ratio, [Formula: see text] , 1.0 and 2.0 using dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and rheology. The degree of non-ergodicity ( X = 0.2 ± 0.02) , which was extracted as a heterodyne contribution from the measured dynamic structure factor data remained less than that of homogeneous solutions where ergodicity is expected (X = 10. The static structure factor, I(q) , results obtained from SANS were interpreted in the Guinier regime (low-q , which implied the existence of ≈ 250 nm long rod-like structures (double-helix bundles), and the power law (intermediate-q regions) yielded I (q) ~ q(−α) with α = 2.3 , 1.8 and 1.6 for r = 0.5 , 1.0 and 2.0. This is indicative of the presence of Gaussian chains at low r , while at r = 2 there was a propensity of rod-shaped structures. The gel strength and transition temperatures measured from frequency sweep and temperature ramp studies were suggestive of the presence of a stronger association between the two biopolymer networks at higher r . The results indicate that the internal structures of agar-gelatin co-hydrogels were highly dependent on the volumetric mixing ratio.

Development of drugs to tackle the ever-increasing cases of cancer and many other diseases including any pandemic is itself challenging. Repurposing existing drugs is an upcoming drug development strategy established for the reuse of existing licensed drugs to ensure accessible, sustainable, and affordable care against cancer. Herein, we presented a nanochemotherapeutic approach based on PEGylated graphene oxide (GO-PEG) loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) and a sustainable natural origin drug, artesunate (ART) to kill cancerous cells. GO-PEG provided a larger surface area to load the dual cargo, iron oxide NPs (∼40%) and ART (∼13%), at a high loading efficiency and simultaneously affected nanotization and crystallinity of the iron oxide NPs. The morphology and internalization of NPs were determined qualitatively and quantitatively by atomic force microscopy (AFM)–Raman imaging and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) analysis, respectively. Furthermore, the loading and unloading of iron reserves were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. The loaded iron oxide NPs underwent a pH-triggered release of iron ions, which is higher in acidic pH than in neutral pH. A ∼sevenfold reduction in the IC50 value of ART upon treatment with the designed nanoconjugate is observed. ART is repositioned as a therapeutic drug against cancer cells, and its efficacy is amplified by the Fenton reaction due to iron oxide NPs, as confirmed by a high oxidative stress generated within the cells. The current work suggests that ART and iron oxide NPs loaded on GO-PEG, a biocompatible carrier, are a promising drug–nanoparticle conjugate for cancer treatment.