Synthesis and Characterization of Temperature‐/pH‐Responsive Hydrogels for Drug Delivery
Qi Li, Wenhao Ma, Hua Ma, Hongzhou Shang, Ning Qiao, Xiaoran Sun
Abstract
Abstract A temperature‐/pH‐responsive hydrogel was successfully prepared by in situ free radical polymerization of N‐isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAm), itaconic acid (IA), and poly (ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (OEGA). The pore size, mechanical strength, and swelling ratio of the P(NIPAm‐IA‐OEGA) were strongly affected by the contents of IA. 5‐Fluorouracil (5‐Fu) was chosen as a model drug, and the maximum drug loading was 68 mg/g. P(NIPAm‐IA‐OEGA) had a much greater release rate in a simulated intestinal fluid environment (47.73 %, 16 h) than in gastric juice (33.11 %, 16 h). The hemolysis test and cytotoxicity test proved that prepared hydrogel had good biocompatibility. In summary, P(NIPAm‐IA‐OEGA) can be used for oral drug delivery systems in cancer therapy.