Cross-linked acrylic hydrogel for the controlled delivery of hydrophobic drugs in cancer therapy

G Deepa,¹ Arun Kumar T Thulasidasan,² Ruby John Anto,² J Jisha Pillai,¹ GS Vinod Kumar<sup>1

1</sup>Chemical Biology, ²Division of Cancer Research, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Objective: To investigate cross-linked hydrogels prepared via inverse emulsion polymerization to entrap poorly aqueous soluble drugs. Polyethylene glycol cross-linked acrylic polymers were synthesized and the loading and release of curcumin, a model hydrophobic drug, was investigated.
Methods: Physicochemical characteristics of hydrogels were studied with ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and swelling. Polymerization of the acrylic acid with cross-linked polyethylene glycol diacrylate was characterized with ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
Results: The in vitro release rate of curcumin showed that there was a sustained release from the hydrogel with increased cross-linking; the release rate depended on the pH of the releasing medium. Intracellular and cytotoxicity studies were carried out in human cervical cancer cell lines.
Conclusion: The results suggest cross-linked acrylic polymers can be used as efficient vectors for pH-sensitive, controlled delivery of hydrophobic drugs.

Keywords: curcumin, cross-linked polyethylene glycol, polyacrylic acid, nanogel, cross-linking combinations, HeLa

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