Klaudia Kaniewska

Stable and degradable microgels linked with cystine for storing and environmentally triggered release of drugs

Environmentally sensitive, degradable microgels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (pNIPA) cross-linked with the diacryloyl derivative of cystine (BISS) were synthesized by applying surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. pNIPA contributed the sensitivity to temperature to the microgels and the cross-linker made them degradable and sensitive to pH. The morphology of the microgels was investigated by using scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM). The gels formed spherical particles with a narrow size distribution. The influence of temperature, pH and ionic strength on the swelling behavior and the stability of new microgels with various contents of BISS (0, 1 and 3%) were investigated by dynamic light scattering (DLS). It was found that microgels with 3% content of amino acid were highly stable over a wide range of investigated temperatures, pH values and ionic strengths, including the physiological conditions (pH = 7.4, IS = 0.15 M, and 37 °C). The reduction-induced degradation of these microgels by 0.01 M solution of dithiothreitol (DTT) or glutathione (GSH) was studied by means of SEM and TEM; the obtained micrographs showed the destruction of spherical microgel particles. The microgels containing 3% of BISS could be loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) by employing the electrostatic interactions between the DOX amine group and the ionized carboxyl group from BISS. A significant increase in the cumulative release of DOX was observed after changing pH from that characteristic to blood (∼7.4) to that existing in affected cells (∼5.0) and in the presence of GSH (CGSH∼ 10 mM). The cytotoxicity tests proved that the obtained microgels are interesting as useful carriers in directed drug delivery systems.

Oxidation of ferrocenemethanol grafted to a hydrogel network through cysteine for triggering volume phase transition

New gels based on N-isopropylacrylamide and cysteine were prepared by free radical polymerization in aqueous solutions. To attach the amino acid to the polymer chain, its α-amino group was modified with acryloyl chloride and N,N′-bisacryloylcystine was obtained. Next, the disulfide bridges were reduced to thiol groups and the attachment of ferrocenemethanol to the chains was performed. The influence of the amount of electroactive groups and their degree of oxidation on the temperature of volume phase transition was investigated. The gel formed from the polymerization solution containing 2% N,N′-bisacryloylcystine could undergo the volume phase transition triggered by changing the ferrocene state of oxidation. The temperature window of the gel sensitivity to the oxidation state of its ferrocene component was 35–40 °C. During the transition the volume of the gel could be changed even by more than an order of magnitude. Thin layers of the electroactive and thermoresponsive gel could be anchored on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode. This was achieved by electroformation of radicals at the electrode surface. The influence of the volume phase transition triggered by a temperature change on redox processes of ferrocene moieties bound to the network was examined voltammetrically.

Changes in the volume phase transition temperature of hydrogels for detection of the DNA hybridization process

A simple biosensing platform which involves the application of thermoresponsive hydrogels (p(NIPA-co-AA)) for detection of target DNA sequences is presented. For this aim the hydrogel based on N-isopropylacrylamide grafted with carboxyl groups was modified with H2N-ssDNA via the amide bond. The detection of target DNA sequences was achieved successfully by monitoring the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT). It was found that the dependence between the VPTT and the concentration of the target complementary DNA is linear in the concentration range from 10-12 to 10-6 M. The proposed DNA detection method is characterized by high sensitivity and good reproducibility. The detection limit obtained (∼1 pM) is a substantial improvement over DNA biosensor labelling with tags, because the detection is based on a physical parameter (VPTT). Circular dichroism (CD) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry with laser ablation (LA-ICP-MS) proved that the hybridization process took place in the hydrogel matrix without any restrictions.