PHA-based thermogel as a controlled zero-order chemotherapeutic delivery system for the effective treatment of melanoma
Abstract
Promising applications of poly[( R )-3-hydroxybutyrate-( R )-3-hydroxyhexanoate] (PHBHx) in tissue engineering have been extensively investigated. However, the application of PHBHx in drug delivery has been rarely explored due to its hydrophobic property, limited functionality, and the absence of active groups for reaction. In this work, PHBHx has been functionalized and copolymerized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) oligomers to provide a series of novel PHBHx incorporated polyurethanes (PHxEP). In vitro docetaxel (DTX) release showed that DTX loaded thermogel can achieve sustained, zero-order release of DTX, that is, constant 10% release of the payload up to 10 days, which is unique and different from other systems previously reported. The inhibition effect of DTX loaded thermogel on solid tumors was evaluated using mouse tumor models, and its biosafety was evaluated. DTX-loaded thermogel showed enhanced antimelanoma effect on melanoma solid tumors compared to the free DTX drug and no apparent harm to other tissues including liver, heart, spleen, kidney, and lung tissues. The results indicated that the PHxEP-based thermogel can be a hopeful drug delivery candidate for sustained and constant delivery of anticancer drugs. It is the first time that the functionalized PHBHx-based water-soluble thermogels have been reported as the drug carrier for DTX release.
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In micelle-hydrogel systems, the encapsulation of micelles within hydrogels not only sequesters drugs within the micelles but also leverages the adhesive properties to reduce drug loss.
“In micelle-hydrogel systems, the encapsulation of micelles within hydrogels not only sequesters drugs within the micelles but also leverages the adhesive properties to reduce drug loss [113].”
From From design to Deployment: The innovative role of nanomicelles in targeted ophthalmic therapeutics (2025) · cites this paper as [113]
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Self-citationFrom design to Deployment: The innovative role of nanomicelles in targeted ophthalmic therapeutics
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“In micelle-hydrogel systems, the encapsulation of micelles within hydrogels not only sequesters drugs within the micelles but also leverages the adhesive properties to reduce drug loss [113].”
- Authors
- Jiang, L., Luo, Z., Loh, X. J., Wu, Y.-L., & Li, Z.
- Affiliations
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG)
- Xiamen University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Loh, Xian Jun
- Wu, Yun-Long
- Li, Zibiao
- Venue
- ACS Applied Bio Materials
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2019-06-26
- Volume
- 2
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 3591-3600
- ISSN
- 2576-6422 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2955381373
- Cited by
- 37
- References
- 42
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3
- FWCI
- 2.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- ACS Applied Bio Materials (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research
- Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (20720170066)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (81773661, 21303145)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmaceutical Science › Advanced Drug Delivery Systems
- Keywords
- thermosensitive hydrogel, zero-order drug release, docetaxel, controlled drug delivery, polyurethane, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, melanoma, biodegradable polymers, anticancer drug carriers
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