• Macromolecular Research
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.704-710
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• 2008

Injectable hydrogels are quite promising materials due to their potential to minimize invasive implantation and this provides versatile fitness irrespective of the damaged regions and facilitates the incorporation of bioactive agents or cells. In situ gel formation through stereocomplex formation is a promising candidate for injectable hydrogels. In this paper, a new series of enantiomeric, four-arm, PEG-PLA block copolymers and their stereocomplexed hydrogels were prepared by bulk ring-opening polymerization of D-lactide and L-lactide, respectively, with stannous octoate as a catalyst. The prepared polymers were characterized by $^1H$ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FT IR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) and thermal gravitational analysis (TGA), confirming the tailored structure and chain lengths. The swelling and degradation behavior of the hydrogels formed from a selected copolymer series were observed in different concentrations. The degradation rate decreased with increasing polymer content in the solution. The rheological behavior indicated that the prepared hydrogel underwent in situ gelation and had favorable mechanical strength. In addition, its feasibility as an injectable scaffold was evaluated using a media dependence test for cell culture. A Tris solution was more favorable for in situ gel formation than PBS and DMEM solutions were. These results demonstrated the in situ formation of hydrogel through the construction of a stereocomplex with enantiomeric, 4-arm, PEG-PLA copolymers. Overall, enantiomeric, 4-arm, PEG-PLA copolymers are a new species of stereocomplexed hydrogels that are suitable for further research into injectable hydrogels.

• Biomaterials Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.235-248
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• 2018

Background: Injectable hydrogels have been extensively researched for the use as scaffolds or as carriers of therapeutic agents such as drugs, cells, proteins, and bioactive molecules in the treatment of diseases and cancers and the repair and regeneration of tissues. It is because they have the injectability with minimal invasiveness and usability for irregularly shaped sites, in addition to typical advantages of conventional hydrogels such as biocompatibility, permeability to oxygen and nutrient, properties similar to the characteristics of the native extracellular matrix, and porous structure allowing therapeutic agents to be loaded. Main body: In this article, recent studies of injectable hydrogel systems applicable for therapeutic agent delivery, disease/cancer therapy, and tissue engineering have reviewed in terms of the various factors physically and chemically contributing to sol-gel transition via which gels have been formed. The various factors are as follows: several different non-covalent interactions resulting in physical crosslinking (the electrostatic interactions (e.g., the ionic and hydrogen bonds), hydrophobic interactions, ${\pi}$-interactions, and van der Waals forces), in-situ chemical reactions inducing chemical crosslinking (the Diels Alder click reactions, Michael reactions, Schiff base reactions, or enzyme-or photo-mediated reactions), and external stimuli (temperatures, pHs, lights, electric/magnetic fields, ultrasounds, or biomolecular species (e.g., enzyme)). Finally, their applications with accompanying therapeutic agents and notable properties used were reviewed as well. Conclusion: Injectable hydrogels, of which network morphology and properties could be tuned, have shown to control the load and release of therapeutic agents, consequently producing significant therapeutic efficacy. Accordingly, they are believed to be successful and promising biomaterials as scaffolds and carriers of therapeutic agents for disease and cancer therapy and tissue engineering.

• Proceedings of the Polymer Society of Korea Conference
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• 2006.10a
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• pp.252-252
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• 2006

Utilizing the existence of the induction period in photo-polymerization, we propose a new injection method of photo-polymerizable, thermocrosslinking hydrogels made of di-acrylated Pluronic F127 (DA-PF127). This method can solve the problem of fast dissolution of thermal gelation as a scaffold and the disadvantages of the existing injection method that photo-polymerize di-acrylated Pluronic polymer after injection using optical fiber. Injectable gelation of DA-PF127 by the proposed method was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. The enhanced stability by this novel photo-polymerization strategy was confirmed by the more sustained release of loaded protein as well as the prolonged degradation time of the hydrogels.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.461-465
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• 2006

Two types of injectable system using thermosensitive chitosan (chitosan-g-NIPAAm), hydrogel and microparticles (MPs)-embedded hydrogel were developed as drug carriers for controlled release and their pharmaceutical potentials were investigated. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU)-loaded, biodegradable PLGA MPs were prepared by a double emulsion method and then simply mixed with an aqueous solution of thermosensitive chitosan at room temperature. All 5-FU release rates from the hydrogel matrix were faster than bovine serum albumin (BSA), possibly due to the difference in the molecular weight of the drugs. The 5-FU release profile from MPs-embedded hydrogel was shown to reduce the burst effect and exhibit nearly zero-order release behavior from the beginning of each initial stage. Thus, these MPs-embedded hydrogels, as well as thermosensitive chitosan hydrogel, have promising potential as an injectable drug carrier for pharmaceutical applications.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.156-162
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• 2009

Supramolecular hydrogels were instantaneously fabricated by mixing aqueous solutions of $\alpha$-cyclodextrins ($\alpha$-CDs) and amphiphilic methoxy (polyethylene glycol) (MPEG)-$\varepsilon$-caprolactone (CL) oligomer, which was synthesized via the ring-opening polymerization of the CL monomer using low-molecular-weight MPEG ($M_n$ of MPEG=2,000 g/mol) as an initiator. The supramolecular structure of the hydrogels was revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. Rheological studies of the hydrogels revealed an elastic character when the number of CL units in the oligomer was more than 2, and the obtained hydrogels showed high storage modulus but relatively low shearing viscosity due to the low-molecular-weight character of the oligomer, which was more preferable for use as an injectable delivery system. The physical properties of the hydrogels could be modulated by controlling the chain morphology and concentration of the oligomers, as well as the feed molar ratio of the oligomer to $\alpha$-CD. The components of the supramolecular hydrogels are biocompatible and can readily be eliminated from the body. These features render the supramolecular hydro gels suitable as drug delivery systems and tissue engineering scaffolds.

• Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2011

Injectable chitosan hydrogels have attracted great potential due to sustained-release property and safety. Here, palmityl-acylated glycol chitosan (Pal-GC) was used to generate physically cross-linked hydrogels by virtue of hydrophobic attraction of linear fatty carbons. Glycol chitosan was chemically modified with N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated palmitic acid in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) containing dimethylaminopyridine. Through a series of preparation steps of (i) dialysis with DMSO, (ii) addition of palmityl-acylated exendin-4 (Ex4-C16), and (iii) dialysis with water, Pal-GC was self-assembled to form physically cross-linked hydrogels entrapped with Ex4-C16. The Pal-GC derivative was analyzed by using 1H NMR, and the surface morphology of Pal-GC hydrogels formed was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Also, the hypoglycemic effect induced by Pal-GC hydrogels containing Ex4-C16 (250 nmol/kg) was evaluated in non-fasted type 2 diabetic db/db mice and compared with GC hydrogels containing native Ex4 at the same dose. Results showed that palmityl group was successfully conjugated with the amines of glycol chitosan, and that Pal-GC efficiently generated the hydrogels formation. Moreover, Pal-GC hydrogels containing Ex4-C16 was found to greatly prolong the hypoglycemia duration (~ 4 days). This was due to the dual-functions of the palmityl groups present in both GC and exendin-4 such as hydrophobic attraction and plasma albumin-binding. We consider this new type of self-assembled GC hydrogels loaded with Ex4-C16 would be a promising long-acting sustained-release system with anti-diabetic property.

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2015

Facile immobilization of growth factors in hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels using dual enzymes is reported in the paper. The hydrogels were formed by using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide ($H_2O_2$) and transforming growth factor-${\beta}3$ (TGF-${\beta}3$) was covalently conjugated on the hydrogels in situ using tyrosinase (Ty) without any modifications. For the preparation of hydrogels, HA was grafted with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which was modified with a tyrosine. The gelation times of the HA hydrogels were ranging from 415 to 17 s and the storage moduli was dependent on the concentration of $H_2O_2$ and Ty (470-1600 Pa). A native TGF-${\beta}3$ (200 ng/mL) was readily encapsulated in the HA hydrogels and 17% of the TGF-${\beta}3$ was released over 1 month at the Ty concentration of 0.5 KU/mL, while the release was faster when 0.3 KU/mL of Ty was used for the encapsulation (27%). It can be suggested that the growth factors resident in the hydrogels for a long period of time may lead cells proliferating and differentiating, whereas the growth factors that are initially released from the hydrogels can induce the ingrowth of cells into the matrices. Therefore, the dual enzymatic methods as facile gel forming and loading of various native growth factors or therapeutic proteins could be highly promising for tissue regenerative medicines.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 2010

Aim of the study: As an injectable scaffold, MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer was applied in bone tissue engineering. In vivo bone formation was evaluated by soft X-ray, histology based on the rat calvarial critical size defect model. Materials and Methods: New bone formation was evaluated with MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer in rat calvarial critical size bone defect. No graft was served as control. 4, 8 weeks after implantation, gross evidence of bone regeneration was evaluated by histology and soft X-ray analysis. Results: The improved and effective bone regeneration was achieved with the BMP-2 and osteoblasts loaded MPEG-PCL diblock copolymer. Conclusion: It was confirmed that MPEG-PCL temperature sensitive hydrogels was useful as an injectable scaffold in bone regeneration.

• Macromolecular Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.87-93
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• 2006

Copolymers composed of hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) were prepared to create temperature-sensitive injectable gels for use in controlled drug delivery applications. Semi-telechelic PNIPAAm, with amino groups at the end of each main chain, was synthesized by radical polymerization using 2-aminoethanethiol hydrochloride (AESH) as the chain transfer agent, and was then grafted onto the carboxyl groups of HA using carbodiimide chemistry. The result of the thermo-optical analysis revealed that the phase transition of the PNIPAAm-grafted HA solution occurred at around 30$\∼$33$^{circ}C$. As the graft yield of PNIPAAm onto the HA backbone increased, the HA-g-PNIPAAm copolymer solution exhibited sharper phase transition. The short chain PNIPAAm-grafted HA ($M_{w}$=6,100) showed a narrower temperature range for optical turbidity changes than the long chain PNIPAAm-grafted HA ($M_{w}$=13,100). PNIPAAm-grafted HA exhibited an increase in viscosity above 35$^{circ}C$, thus allowing the gels to maintain their shape for 24 h after in vivo administration. From the in vitro riboflavin release study, the HA-g-PNIPAAm gel showed a more sustained release behavior when the grafting yield of PNIPAAm onto the HA backbone was increased. In addition, BSA released from the PNIPAAm-g-HA gels showed a maximum concentration in the blood 12 h after being injected into the dorsal surface of a rabbit, followed by a sustained release profile after 60 h.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1981-1984
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• 2006

Novel amphiphilic, thermo-responsive polyaspartamides which showed both LCST (lower critical solution temperature), and sol-gel transition were prepared and characterized. The polyaspartamide derivatives were synthesized from polysuccinimide, the polycondensate of aspartic acid monomer, via successive nucleophilic ring-opening reaction by using dodecylamine and N-isopropylethylenediamine (NIPEDA). At the intermediate composition ranges, the dilute aqueous solution exhibited a thermally responsive phase separation due to the presence of LCST. The phase transition temperature was controllable by changing the content of pendent groups. In addition, a physical gelation, i.e. the sol-gel transition was observed from the concentrated solutions, which was elucidated by dynamic viscoelastic measurements. These novel injectable and thermo-responsive hydrogels have potential for various biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and current drug delivery system.