Polyampholyte‐Based Polymer Hydrogels for the Long‐Term Storage, Protection and Delivery of Therapeutic Proteins

Abstract

Protein storage and delivery are crucial for biomedical applications such as protein therapeutics and recombinant proteins. Lack of proper protocols results in the denaturation of proteins, rendering them inactive and manifesting undesired side effects. In this study, polyampholyte-based (succinylated 𝝐-poly-l-lysine) hydrogels containing polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene glycol polymer matrices to stabilize proteins are developed. These hydrogels facilitated the loading and release of therapeutic amounts of proteins and withstood thermal and freezing stress (15 freeze-thaw cycles and temperatures of −80 °C and 37 °C), without resulting in protein denaturation and aggregation. To the best of our knowledge, this strategy has not been applied to the design of hydrogels constituting polymers, (in particular, polyampholyte-based polymers) which have inherent efficiency to stabilize proteins and protect them from denaturation. Our findings can open up new avenues in protein biopharmaceutics for the design of materials that can store therapeutic proteins long-term under severe stress and safely deliver them.

Impact of ultra-low temperature storage on serum sIgE detection and allergic disease biobank feasibility

“…We considered that this might be due to (1) the phenomenon of "cold denaturation", where when serum samples are stored for a long time at temperatures far below the freezing point of water, the non-polar groups inside the antibody protein are exposed to water, causing changes in the intermolecular interactions of free energy and reducing the hydrophobic interaction of proteins and changes in tertiary structure 35 , 36 ; (2) long-term freezing may lead to crystal formation of the buffering component in serum, resulting in changes in pH 37 ; (3) different reagent batches used for the previous measurements may cause errors. (4) During the thawing process, ice recrystallization can affect the structural integrity of nearby proteins, leading to protein denaturation 38 ; (5). We also discovered two samples with large changes in positive levels, both for dog hair allergens, with a change rate reaching 99%.…”

Natural Underwater Bioadhesive Offering Cohesion Modulation via Hydrogen Bond Disruptor: A Highly Injectable and in Vivo Stable Remedy for Gastric Ulcer Resolution

“…[6,10,11] Relative short shelf lives and/or strict storage conditions (e.g., low-temperature storage) are common problems of proteinbased hydrogel materials that restrict their wide applications as the presence of water increases the risk of protein denaturation and microbial exposure during storage. [30] To solve these problems, dehydrated SFTA-U was prepared by air-drying and subsequently stored for a period of 3 m at room temperature (20 ± 2 °C). After immersing it in a suitable amount of water, the liquid SFTA-U can be recovered (Figure 4f).…”

Materials Nanoarchitectonics at Dynamic Interfaces: Structure Formation and Functional Manipulation

“…Materials 2024, 17, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 37 develop materials for various functions, such as for energy production [38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45], energy storage [46][47][48][49][50][51][52], separation [53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60], sensing [61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68], and drug delivery [69][70][71][72][73][74][75][76]. In the 20th century, academic areas for the creation of various materials have been established, and it has become possible to create materials on demand that do not exist in nature.…”