Near‐Infrared Light‐Triggered Dual Drug Release Using Gold Nanorod‐Embedded Thermosensitive Nanogel‐Crosslinked Hydrogels

Abstract

Gold nanorod (AuNR)‐embedded poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels offer the possibility of achieving near‐infrared (NIR) light‐triggered drug release. In addition, using nanoparticles as a crosslinker can enhance the mechanical properties of PNIPAM hydrogels, and nanoparticle‐crosslinked hydrogels provide an important approach for dual drug release. Here, NIR light‐triggered dual drug release using AuNR‐embedded thermosensitive nanogel‐crosslinked hydrogels is reported for the first time. Two kinds of drugs are encapsulated, one in the nanogel and the other in the hydrogel. The volume phase transition of the PNIPAM hydrogels is induced by NIR light by utilizing the photothermal effect of AuNRs. By changing the number of embedded AuNRs and the intensity of NIR light, the release rate and drug quantity can be adjusted for on‐demand release. Because of its NIR light‐triggering and nanoparticle‐crosslinking capabilities, AuNR‐embedded thermosensitive nanogel‐crosslinked hydrogels may expand the application scope of hydrogels and provide enhanced properties in their applications.

Hybrid Injectable Sol-Gel Systems Based on Thermo-Sensitive Polyurethane Hydrogels Carrying pH-Sensitive Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles for the Controlled and Triggered Release of Therapeutic Agents

“…For instance, reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent drug release was reported by Gupta et al (2014) from thermo-sensitive hydrogels based on a ABC triblock polymer containing a ROS-sensitive poly(propylene sulfide) building block. Near-infrared (NIR) light-induced drug delivery was achieved by embedding gold nanorods into thermo-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogels which underwent shrinkage upon local heating of the nanorods due to NIR light irradiation, resulting in the triggered release of encapsulated drugs (Jiang et al, 2019). Carbon nanotubes were also used with the same goal by Dong et al (2017) that exploited their photothermal effect to trigger the release of doxorubicin from thermo-sensitive hydrogels based on a poly(ε-caprolactone)b-poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL-PEG-PCL) triblock copolymer.…”

The Golden Age: Shining the Light on Theragnostics

“…Jiang et al reported their utility of the AuNR‐embedded PNIPAM hydrogels for NIR‐triggered dual drug release, in which the temperature increase from NIR light‐irradiated AuNRs caused the contraction of the hydrogels to on‐demand release the encapsulated doxorubicin (DOX) and curcumin (CUR) ( Figure 5 a). [ 49 ] Similarly, Kang et al synthesized AuNPs modified with mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) as the host carriers for DOX. In vivo fluorescence imaging demonstrated that light irradiation of the MSA‐modified AuNPs induced local heating thereon enough to trigger the release of the encapsulated DOX.…”

“…Reproduced with permission. [ 49 ] Copyright 2019, Wiley. b) DOX‐loaded gold nanostars−mesoporous silica nanoparticles were capped with a photo‐labile PEG derivative containing a 2‐nitrobenzyl (N2) linker.…”

Rapid Photothermal Responsive Conductive MXene Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Soft Manipulators and Sensitive Strain Sensors

“…Consequently, the PNI-PAM hydrogel has always been applied as a matrix material for the fabrication of temperature sensor, and different nanoparticles are added into the hydrogel to improve the thermosensitive and mechanical properties. [23][24][25] Nowadays, many photothermal conversion agents such as graphene oxide (GO), [26] carbon nanotubes, [2] Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles, [17] gold nanorods, [27] Cu 2−x S, [28] and MXene nanosheets have been incorporated into the hydrogel matrix to obtain the decent photothermal property, and the mechanical properties of the hydrogels may also be improved to a certain extent. MXene nanosheets, as a new type of 2D nanomaterials, have received more and more attention owing to their excellent hydrophilicity, high photothermal conversion efficiency, remarkable thermal/electrical conductivity.…”