Injectable
hydrogel is advantageous as a drug reservoir for controlled
drug release since its injectability provides minimally invasive access
to internal tissues and irregular-shaped target sites. Herein, we
fabricated pH-responsive injectable hydrogels constructed of a supramolecular
cross-link network, which contained tannic acid (TA), Fe(III), poly(ethylene
glycol) (PEG), and bovine serum albumin (BSA) for controlled drug
release. The hydrogel precursors rapidly turned into a gel when co-injected
with NaOH in a time scale of seconds. The hydrogel properties and
drug release profiles are all tunable by adjusting the concentrations
of BSA, NaOH, and doxorubicin (DOX). The Young’s moduli range
from 3.19 ± 0.93 to 43.24 ± 1.37 kPa that match internal
soft tissues. The hydrogel lasts more than 3 weeks and gradually releases
doxorubicin up to 123.6 ± 1.7 μg at pH 6.4. The results
of the physical properties and drug release suggest supramolecular
interactions that correspond to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
results. In vitro cytotoxicity was also assessed using L929 cells,
and the results demonstrated the material biocompatibility. The tunable
properties, controlled release profiles, and biocompatibility of injectable
poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels support that they have great potential
as a drug-releasing material for localized treatments.
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