Incorporation of dynamic boronate links and Ag nanoparticles into PVA hydrogels for pH-Regulated and prolonged release of methotrexate

Abstract In this study, pH-responsive hydrogels based on PVA-boronate crosslinks were prepared via a simple route and used for controlled and targeted delivery of anticancer drug methotrexate. A double network (DN) hydrogel composed of didiol-boronate/PVA complex as the first network and PVA crystallites generated by a freeze-thaw process as the second one was developed. The swelling of PVA-boronate DN hydrogels demonstrated high sensitivity to multiple stimuli including the pH, temperature, and ionic strength of the media thanks to the dynamic boronate links in the first network. Moreover, unlike previously reported hydrogels based on the boronate linkages, the new DN hydrogels preserved t…