Self-Healable, Injectable, and Conductive Supramolecular Eutectogel for the Encapsulation and Sustained Release of the Anticancer Drug Curcumin

Abstract

The intriguing properties such as high environmental compatibility of supramolecular gels made solely through reversible noncovalent interactions are of recent interest. To offer proof of concept for the new-age sustainable materials, herein we have designed the self-healable, injectable, and ionic conductive supramolecular eutectogel in natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES). The studied eutectogels were prepared by dissolving the pharmaceutically active cetylpyridinium chloride (C 16 PyCl) and cetylpyridinium bromide (C 16 PyBr) in the NADES. The NADES was formed by interacting choline chloride (ChCl) with mono-, di-, and trimeric acids, i.e., formic acid (FA), oxalic acid (OA), and citric acid (CA) through hydrogen bonding. The gelation kinetics of the eutectogel was assessed using turbidity measurement as a function of time, whereas the morphology and mechanical properties were assessed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and rheology. To further verify the shape and size of the aggregate within the eutectogel, small angle neutron scattering (SANS) was performed. The eutectogel offers excellent self-healing, injectable, and ionic conductive properties as well as excellent antimicrobial properties, and offers high encapsulation efficiency for curcumin. The sustained release characteristics and release kinetics of curcumin was also investigated. Gel phases, in particular, show high colloidal forces, which, along with their environmentally benign nature, make them a great candidate not only for biomedical applications but also for the industries that require high performance with minimal environmental impact.

Deep Eutectic Solvent and Poly (Vinyl Alcohol) Based Self‐healable, Injectable and Adhesive „Eutectogel”: An Emerging Drug Delivery Vehicle

“…Our prior research involving Eutectogels created with C16PyCl and C16PyBr surfactants in different DESs exhibited gel-to-sol behavior below 15 % strain, underscoring the higher strength of polymeric eutectogels compared to surfactant-based eutectogels. [31] Moreover, Marullo et al observed that in supramolecular eutectogels, G" exceeded G' when the strain exceeded 1 % while the frequency remained at 1 rad/s, further supporting the superior mechanical strength of our polymeric eutectogel over amino acid-based eutectogels. [30] To assess injectability and self-recovery (self-healing) capabilities of the eutectogel, we conducted a thixotropic study (Figure 3c).…”

“…The findings suggest that the gel transforms into a sol form at strain levels greater than 15 %, aligning with established rheological gel behavior. Our prior research involving Eutectogels created with C16PyCl and C16PyBr surfactants in different DESs exhibited gel‐to‐sol behavior below 15 % strain, underscoring the higher strength of polymeric eutectogels compared to surfactant‐based eutectogels [31] . Moreover, Marullo et al.…”

Sodium Chloride Induced pH and Temperature Responsive Biocompatible Hydrogel of Choline Oleate for Transdermal Drug Delivery of Doxorubicin

“…We have further used the pair of probes ANS and R6G to calculate the radius of micellar aggregates through measuring the distance between these probes after adding them in aggregate system using Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) [25] . As the emission spectra of ANS, overlaps with the excitation spectra of R 6 G [25b] …”

Optimized Extraction of Glycosylated Flavonoids from Pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) Agricultural Biomass Residues through Ultrasonic Pulse-Assisted Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents

“…Regarding scaling up the process of obtaining these antioxidant glycosylated flavonoids from pepper biomass residues and their utilization as food additives and supplements, it is necessary to recover the metabolites from the crude extract. Alternatively, we propose to overcome this issue by utilizing the whole NaDES containing phytochemicals as liquid active ingredients or additives in functional materials. , For instance, there are examples in the literature where the extracts (phytochemical-containing NaDES) are used as pharmaceutic dosage forms, in the form of eutectogels (gels formed by the addition of a gelling agent, typically a (bio)­polymer, to a NaDES), − creams, and ointments, among others . This is possibly due to the low toxicity of the NaDESs, whose components can also present pharmacological or biological activities, e.g., therapeutic DES (THEDES). , …”