Positively and Negatively Charged Collagen Nanohydrogels: pH‐responsive Drug‐releasing Characteristics

• Published in: Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol. 39; no. 4; pp. 477 - 482
• Main Authors: Kim, Han‐Sem, Kim, Sung‐Jin, Kang, Ji‐Hye, Shin, Ueon Sang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA 01.04.2018; 대한화학회
• Subjects: Carboxyl groups and amine‐functionalized carbon nanotube; Negatively and positively charged carbon nanotube; Negatively and positively charged collagen nanohydrogel; pH‐responsive hydrogel; pH‐responsive oral drug carrier; Site‐specific delivery; 화학
• ISSN: 1229-5949; 0253-2964; 1229-5949
• DOI: 10.1002/bkcs.11412

Researchers are facing many challenges in developing a strategy for site‐specific delivery in the gastrointestinal tract that can maximize therapeutic response and reduce side effects. The objective of this article was to develop a site‐specific drug delivery system for the gastrointestinal tract using natural polymer collagen (CG). For this, two types of pH‐responsive CG nanohydrogels (negatively charged pH‐CGNH‐COOH and positively charged pH‐CGNH‐NH2) were prepared using negatively and positively functionalized carbon nanotubes, CNT‐COOH and CNT‐NH2, respectively. The pH‐CGNH‐COOH and pH‐CGNH‐NH2 nanohydrogel samples comprising negatively and positively charged fibrils (CG/CNT‐COOH and CG/CNT‐NH2) were physicochemically characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectrometry, Zeta sizer, thermogravimetric analysis, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. They also revealed the pH‐responsive release of bovine serum albumin at pH 9 and cytochrome C at pH 2. These results strongly indicate that these drug carriers can be useful for site‐specific delivery in the gastrointestinal tract.