Ultrafast Laser-Ablated Bioinspired Hydrogel-Based Porous Gating System for Sustained Drug Release

Abstract

Gating systems have been extensively researched in energy harvesting, lab-on-chip applications, and so forth. However, the controlled drug delivery system with artificial hydrogel-based porous gating systems (HPGSs) is rarely reported. Herein, a biomimetic HPGS with a pH-responsive hydrogel as the valve and polydimethylsiloxane as the frame is fabricated by in situ femtosecond laser microdrilling and subsequent ultraviolet exposure. The proposed HPGS loaded with doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) is stable under physiological conditions, has a low drug leakage rate, and can achieve sustained drug release in a low pH environment. The experimental results show that the drug release is mainly controlled by non-Fickian diffusion, which renders the dynamic speed control of molecular transport possible. Moreover, the HPGS can also be prepared into an antitumor microcapsule. The results of in vitro cell experiments demonstrate that DOX@HPGS can release drugs and achieve terrific therapeutic efficacy in the elimination of HeLa cells in the acidic environments around tumor cells. This functional HPGS is envisioned to be an ideal pH-response carrier for sustained drug release treatment of digestive diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancer.

Femtosecond laser direct writing of functional stimulus-responsive structures and applications

“…Zhang et al fabricated a biomimetic hydrogel-based porous gating system through FsLDW-based microdrilling and subsequent ultraviolet exposure, which consisted of a pH-sensitive hydrogelbased valve and a frame made of PDMS. The proposed gating systems, including membrane and microcapsule systems inspired by plant stomata, could realize a reversible transition between 'OFF' and 'ON' states based on pH-triggered valve expansion or contraction, which could be applied to realize sustained drug release and on-demand tumor cells treatment (figures 15(d) and (e)) [56]. Achieving precise drug delivery is a paramount objective in targeted therapy, but it poses significant challenges.…”

“…The ultrashort pulse duration and immensely high peak intensity of femtosecond laser bring unprecedented physical conditions for modern extreme manufacturing and scientific experimental research [42][43][44][45][46][47][48]. FsLDW technology can promote the flexible and efficient manufacturing of well-designed structures with on-demand stimulus-responsive behaviors, thus further facilitating current tendencies of miniaturization, functionalization, integration, and ultimate practical application of these intelligent structures in diverse fields such as microfluidics [49][50][51], optics [52][53][54], robotics [55], and biomedical engineering [10,56,57].…”

Inclination‐Enabled Generalized Microfluid Rectifiers via Anisotropic Slippery Hollow Tracks

“…The on-demand control of microfluids (droplets or bubbles) utilizing specific functional structures and materials [1,2] is fundamental to diverse scientific research and industrial processes, such as water-fog harvesting, [3] lab on a chip, [4] gas-liquid interfacial biochemical reaction, [5] oil-water separation, [6][7][8][9] permeable membrane/gating, [10,11] sustained drug release, [12] air purification, [13] froth management, [14] and others. Compared DOI: 10.1002/admt.202300267 with droplet manipulation, bubble control has been proven to be challenging.…”

Sulfonated Hydrogel Formed via CO2-in-Water Emulsion: Potential in Antibiotic Removal

“…Porous polymers with many functional groups have attracted attention due to their wide applications as catalyst supports, as adsorbents, as tissue scaffolds, and in controlled drug release [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. So far, various methods have been applied to prepare porous macromolecules.…”

“…Organic solvents can be replaced by CO 2 because the latter is abundant, nontoxic, nonflammable, and readily available; thus, it should be deeply utilized [10]. Cooper et al reported poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogel obtained from a CO 2 -in-water (C/W) emulsion template; the gel had a bulk density of 0.043 g/cm 3 , which could be useful in biomedical applications [11]. In our previous studies, UiO-66 and HKUST-1 were applicable as key emulsion stabilizers to stabilize C/W HIPEs, and the resulting composite gel had good adsorption and hydrophilicity, while the mechanical properties of the material were improved, e.g., resilience [12,13].…”