Highly stable and degradable multifunctional microgel for self-regulated insulin delivery under physiological conditions

Nanoscale. 2013 Jul 21;5(14):6498-506. doi: 10.1039/c3nr00835e. Epub 2013 Jun 10.

Abstract

The response to glucose, pH and temperature, high drug loading capacity, self-regulated drug delivery and degradation in vivo are simultaneously probable by applying a multifunctional microgel under a rational design in a colloid chemistry method. Such multifunctional microgels are fabricated with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm), (2-dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) and 3-acrylamidephenylboronic acid (AAPBA) through a precipitation emulsion method and cross-linked by reductive degradable N,N'-bis(arcyloyl)cystamine (BAC). This novel kind of microgel with a narrow size distribution (∼250 nm) is suitable for diabetes because it can adapt to the surrounding medium of different glucose concentrations over a clinically relevant range (0-20 mM), control the release of preloaded insulin and is highly stable under physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 0.15 M NaCl, 37 °C). When synthesized multifunctional microgels regulate drug delivery, they gradually degrade as time passes and, as a result, show enhanced biocompatibility. This exhibits a new proof-of-concept for diabetes treatment that takes advantage of the properties of each building block from a multifunctional micro-object. These highly stable and versatile multifunctional microgels have the potential to be used for self-regulated therapy and monitoring of the response to treatment, or even simultaneous diagnosis as nanobiosensors.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acrylamides / chemistry
  • Boronic Acids / chemistry
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Drug Carriers / toxicity
  • Gels / chemistry*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Insulin / chemistry
  • Insulin / metabolism*
  • Methacrylates / chemistry
  • Osmolar Concentration
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Temperature

Substances

  • 3-acrylamidophenylboronic acid
  • Acrylamides
  • Boronic Acids
  • Drug Carriers
  • Gels
  • Insulin
  • Methacrylates
  • N-isopropylacrylamide
  • 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate