Mechanical Characterization of Polysaccharide/polyaminoacid Hydrogels as Potential Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration
The mechanical properties of hydrogel scaffolds based on hyaluronic acid (HA) that were chemically crosslinked with α,β-poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)(2-aminoethylcarbamate)-D,L-aspartamide (PHEA-EDA) were investigated. Variation of these properties as a function of three different PHEA-EDA amounts used to crosslink HA has been related to the reaction efficiency evaluated using a colorimetric assay. Moreover, the amount of unreacted amino groups that was still present in the hydrogels was related to the attachment behavior of human dermal fibroblasts to the hydrogel surface. The mechanical data and biological results suggest the suitability of the investigated hydrogels as scaffolds for the regener…
Polyaspartamide-Doxorubicin Conjugate as Potential Prodrug for Anticancer Therapy
Purpose To synthesize a new polymeric prodrug based on ?,?- poly(N-2-hydroxyethyl)(2-aminoethylcarbamate)-d,l-aspartamide copolymer bearing amine groups in the side chain (PHEA-EDA), covalently linked to the anticancer drug doxorubicin and to test its potential application in anticancer therapy. Methods The drug was previously derivatized with a biocompatible and hydrophilic linker, leading to a doxorubicin derivative highly reactive with amino groups of PHEA-EDA. The PHEAEDA- DOXO prodrug was characterized in terms of chemical stability. The pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and cytotoxicity of the product was investigated in vitro and in vivo on human breast cancer MCF-7 and T47D cell lin…
Long-Circulating Hyaluronan-Based Nanohydrogels as Carriers of Hydrophobic Drugs
[EN] Nanohydrogels based on natural polymers, such as polysaccharides, are gaining interest as vehicles for therapeutic agents, as they can modify the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the carried drugs. In this work, hyaluronan-riboflavin nanohydrogels were tested in vivo in healthy rats highlighting their lack of toxicity, even at high doses, and their different biodistribution with respect to that of native hyaluronan. They were also exploited as carriers of a hydrophobic model drug, the anti-inflammatory piroxicam, that was physically embedded within the nanohydrogels by an autoclave treatment. The nanoformulation was tested by intravenous administration showing an improvement of…