Carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels crosslinked with keratin nanoparticles for efficient prednisolone delivery

Otavio A Silva; Michelly G Pellá; Roberta M Sabino; Ketul C Popat; Matt J Kipper; Adley F Rubira; Heveline D M Follmann; Rafael Silva; Alessandro F Martins

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124497

Carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels crosslinked with keratin nanoparticles for efficient prednisolone delivery

Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Jun 30:241:124497. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124497. Epub 2023 Apr 18.

Authors

Otavio A Silva¹, Michelly G Pellá¹, Roberta M Sabino², Ketul C Popat³, Matt J Kipper⁴, Adley F Rubira¹, Heveline D M Follmann¹, Rafael Silva¹, Alessandro F Martins⁵

Affiliations

¹ Group of Polymers and Composite Materials, Department of Chemistry, State University of Maringá (UEM), Maringá, PR, Brazil.
² School of Advanced Materials Discovery, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, CO, USA; Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.
³ School of Advanced Materials Discovery, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, CO, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, CO, USA.
⁴ School of Advanced Materials Discovery, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, CO, USA; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, CO, USA.
⁵ Group of Polymers and Composite Materials, Department of Chemistry, State University of Maringá (UEM), Maringá, PR, Brazil; Laboratory of Materials, Macromolecules, and Composites, Federal University of Technology-Paraná (UTFPR), Apucarana, PR, Brazil; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, CO, USA. Electronic address: afmartins@utfpr.edu.br.

PMID: 37080405
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124497

Abstract

Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and keratin nanoparticle (KNP) hydrogels were obtained, characterized, and applied as drug delivery systems (DDSs) for the first time. Lyophilized CMC/KNP mixtures containing 10, 25, and 50 wt% of KNPs were kept at 170 °C for 90 min to crosslink CMC chains through a solid-state reaction with the KNPs. The hydrogels were characterized by infrared spectroscopy, thermal analyses, X-ray diffraction, mechanical measurements, and scanning electron microscopy. The infrared spectra indicated the formation of ester and amide linkages between crosslinked CMC and KNPs. The elastic modulus of the hydrogel containing 10 wt% KNPs was 2-fold higher than that of the hydrogel containing 50 wt% KNPs. The mechanical properties influenced the hydrogel stability and water uptake. The anti-inflammatory prednisolone (PRED) drug was incorporated into the hydrogels, and the release mechanism was investigated. The hydrogels supported PRED release by drug desorption for approximately 360 h. A sustained release mechanism was achieved. The CMC/KNP and CMC/KNP/PRED hydrogels were cytocompatible toward mammalian cells. The CMC/KNP/PRED set imparted the highest cell viability after 7 days of incubation. This study showed a straightforward procedure to create DDSs (chemically crosslinked) based on polysaccharides and proteins for efficient PRED delivery.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Polysaccharides; Release.

MeSH terms

Animals
Anti-Inflammatory Agents
Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium / chemistry
Hydrogels* / chemistry
Keratins
Mammals
Nanoparticles*
Prednisolone / pharmacology

Substances

Hydrogels
Keratins
Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium
Prednisolone
Anti-Inflammatory Agents