Speaker
Description
Peptide-based hydrogels provide many advantages for drug delivery, such as low critical gelation concentration, easy tailoring and modulation, and biocompatibility [1]. The self-assembly gelation potentiates novel fabrication strategies and the encapsulation of different composites, such as magnetic nanoparticles and liposomes [2]. The combination with magnetic and/or plasmonic nanoparticles provides a means for on-demand drug release, which can be further optimized through the combination with liposomes. These storage units enable the compartmentalization of various drugs that can be released in a sequential and on-demand manner through the use of different triggers [3]. However, the implementation of a stimulus can often lead to undesirable effects on the gel’s properties or affect the drug encapsulation.
From the understanding of drug encapsulation in peptide-based gels [4], the use of photothermia as a trigger [5], and the way different nanoparticle functionalization impact the properties [6], peptide-based magnetic gels have progressed towards the combination with liposomes as storage units [6]. Currently, a strategy was developed that enabled the modulation of the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin release through the co-assembly of different composites in dehydropeptide-based gels (figure 1). The interplay of liposomes as storage units and nanoparticles co-assembly enabled the tuneability of both passive and active doxorubicin release through different triggers, which makes this design strategy promising for future developments on the control of drug release.
References
[1] S.R.S. Veloso et al., Mater. Sci. Eng. C 122, 111869 (2021).
[2] S.R.S. Veloso et al., Adv. Colloid Interface Sci 288, 102351 (2021).
[3] S.R.S. Veloso et al., Nanomaterials 10, 1702 (2020).
[4] S.R.S. Veloso et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 21, 10377-10390 (2019).
[5] S.R.S. Veloso et al., J. Mater. Chem. B 8, 45-64 (2020).
[6] S.R.S. Veloso et al., Nanomaterials 11, 16 (2021).
[7] S.R.S. Veloso et al., in preparation.
