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Article
Thermoresponsive and Covalently Cross-Linkable Hydrogels for Intra-Articular Drug Delivery
ACS Applied Bio Materials
  • David Andrew Prince, The University of Western Ontario
  • Ian J. Villamagna, The University of Western Ontario
  • Aneta Borecki, The University of Western Ontario
  • Frank Beier, The University of Western Ontario
  • John R. De Bruyn, The University of Western Ontario
  • Mark Hurtig, Ontario Veterinary College
  • Elizabeth R. Gillies, The University of Western Ontario
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-19-2019
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1021/acsabm.9b00410
Abstract

© 2019 American Chemical Society. The local delivery of drugs to joints is a recognized strategy in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Hydrogels, particularly those that can be injected as liquids but undergo gelation in the joint, are promising platforms for intra-articular drug delivery. However, their properties must be carefully designed and tuned to achieve sustained drug release, which has been a challenge with previous hydrogels. We describe here the use of a combination of noncovalent thermal gelation and covalent cross-linking with poly(caprolactone-co-lactide)(PCLA)-poly(ethylene glycol)(PEG)-PCLA triblock copolymers to achieve hydrogels with sustained drug release in joints. The hybrid cross-linking approach afforded higher viscoelastic and compression moduli compared to noncovalent cross-linking alone and enabled celecoxib as well as other drugs to be loaded without substantially compromising the mechanical properties. Celecoxib release in vitro was much slower for the hybrid cross-linked hydrogel, with only 20% released over 22 days, compared to 90% released over 22 days for a noncovalently cross-linked hydrogel. Furthermore, the burst release of celecoxib was reduced in vivo in horse joints compared to noncovalent systems, and the drug was detected in synovial fluid for a period of two months. Overall, this new hydrogel system shows significant promise as a platform for further development in intra-articular delivery.

Citation Information
David Andrew Prince, Ian J. Villamagna, Aneta Borecki, Frank Beier, et al.. "Thermoresponsive and Covalently Cross-Linkable Hydrogels for Intra-Articular Drug Delivery" ACS Applied Bio Materials Vol. 2 Iss. 8 (2019) p. 3498 - 3507
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/frank-beier/69/