Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Drug Delivery to Brain Cancer Cells
Hydrogel, a three-dimensional (3D) network of hydrophilic polymers, have many favorable characteristics such as high biocompatibility, stimuli-responsiveness, and high tunability that make it advantageous for biomedical application. However, its insufficient performance as a carrier of poorly water soluble drugs, which are the majority of anticancer therapeutics available, limits the application of this material. To address this problem, the Wang laboratory has developed an amphiphilic liquid polymer called PA11 that can be incorporated into the hydrogel to create a nanoscale system with enhanced ability to carry and deliver hydrophobic drugs. The main goal of my study is to build upon previous findings about this nanocomposite material and further assess its drug delivery application. This was accomplished through determining the cellular uptake by pancreatic tumor cells and obtaining the release kinetics in vitro. Alginate hydrogel microbeads containing PA11 were synthesized and loaded with Nile Red (NR), a hydrophobic drug analog. The internalization of the NR by the cells was then visualized by fluorescent microscopy. The release kinetics of the Alginate-PA11 system was also quantified. The results gave insights into the efficacy of the nanocomposite system as a hydrophobic drug carrier.