Design, Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Type of Thermo-Responsible Phospholipid Microcapsule–Alginate Composite Hydrogel for Drug Delivery

Abstract

Liposomes are extensively used in drug delivery, while alginates are widely used in tissue engineering. However, liposomes are usually thermally unstable and drug-leaking when in liquids, while the drug carriers made of alginates show low loading capacities when used for drug delivery. Herein, we developed a type of thermo-responsible liposome–alginate composite hydrogel (TSPMAH) by grafting thermo-responsive liposomes onto alginates by using Ca2+ mediated bonding between the phosphatidic serine (PS) in the liposome membrane and the alginate. The temperature-sensitivity of the liposomes was actualized by using phospholipids comprising dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) and PS and the liposomes were prepared by a thin-film dispersion method. The TSPMAH was then successfully prepared by bridge-linking the microcapsules onto the alginate hydrogel via PS-Ca2+-Carboxyl-alginate interaction. Characterizations of the TSPMAH were carried out using scanning electron microscopy, transform infrared spectroscopy, and laser scanning confocal microscopy, respectively. Their rheological property was also characterized by using a rheometer. Cytotoxicity evaluations of the TSPMAH showed that the composite hydrogel was biocompatible, safe, and non-toxic. Further, loading and thermos-inducible release of model drugs encapsulated by the TSPMAH as a drug carrier system was also studied by making protamine–siRNA complex-carrying TSPMAH drug carriers. Our results indicated that the TSPMAH described herein has great potentials to be further developed into an intelligent drug delivery system.

Design and applications of liposome-in-gel as carriers for cancer therapy

“…The following sections will detail a combination of chemotherapeutic agents and LP–Gel hybrids. LP–Gel hybrids also serve as vehicles to carry biological drugs, such as small interfering RNA (siRNA) (Krebs & Alsberg, 2011 ; Furst et al., 2016 ; Ding et al., 2020 ), antibodies (Wang et al., 2021 ), cancer vaccines (Zhang et al., 2020 ), and enzymes (Bobone et al., 2015 ). siRNA-loaded LP–Gel hybrids showed high uptake efficiency in vaginal mucosa and could directly silence the expression of herpes viral proteins (Palliser et al., 2006 ; Furst et al., 2016 ).…”

Drying soy phosphatidylcholine liposomal suspensions in alginate matrix: Effect of drying methods on physico-chemical properties and stability

“…Furthermore, its selective pH sensitiveness makes it a very good vehicle for the protection of bioactives from gastric acidic environment and their colon-targeted release (Agüero, Zaldivar-Silva, Peña, & Dias, 2017). Alginate has been employed as a stabilizing agent for liposomes by different strategies, e.g., liposomes-coating, aerogel entrapment or liposome-alginate composite hydrogels (Ding, et al, 2020;Trucillo, Cardea, Baldino, & Reverchon, 2020;Zamani Ghaleshahi & Rajabzadeh, 2020). Furthermore, alginate or alginate derivatives have shown excellent results for the stabilization of lipids through the formation of aerogels by freeze-drying (Chen & Zhang, 2019.…”

Development of PLGA-PEG-PLGA Hydrogel Delivery System for Enhanced Immunoreaction and Efficacy of Newcastle Disease Virus DNA Vaccine

“…When inoculated into the host, the polymer will achieve a sol-gel transition at body temperature. Additionally, many conventional hydrogels can only release drugs for a few days [10]. However, the PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogel can constantly release the incorporated drugs over weeks or months at the injection site [11].…”