.png){kind=icon}
.png){kind=icon}
Return
Exploring the use of pH-responsive alginate, cellulose nanocrystal and organosilane hybrid hydrogels for controlled berberine release
.png){kind=icon}
PRE
AI
E
K
E
K
N
R
E
A
DOI：10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2026.106646.png)
.png){kind=icon}
Original request for help.png){kind=icon}
Share.png){kind=icon}
Save
Abstract
En 中文
A natural bioactive compound named berberine (Ber) has shown high therapeutic potential for chronic diseases, but suffers from extremely low gastrointestinal absorption, which limits its clinical application. In this work, we developed pH-responsive hybrid hydrogels based on sodium alginate (SA), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and 3(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TMSPM) to enhance the intestinal bioavailability of Ber. The synthesis approach involved vinyl-functionalizing the SA and CNC to enable covalent crosslinking with the TMSPM via free-radical polymerization. Infrared spectroscopy confirmed the formation mechanism of the hybrid network, revealing covalent linkages (C-C, Si-O-C, and Si-O-Si) and non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonding) among SA, CNC, and TMSPM. The hydrogel composed of SA containing 10% of CNC and 10% of TMPSM showed a Young's modulus 1.8-fold higher than that of the hydrogel containing 100% of SA. Swelling and release studies exhibited strong pH responsiveness, with sustained release at pH 7.4 (simulated intestinal fluid, SIF) and reduced diffusion at pH 1.2 (simulated gastric fluid, SGF). The optimized formulations sustained Ber release for up to 150 h, achieving 70-80% release at pH 7.4. The release of Ber was governed by super transport case II at pH 1.2 (faster release) and anomalous transport at pH 7.4 in a slower release, as confirmed by a reduced release rate constant. Cytotoxicity tests using the L929 fibroblast assay confirmed the biocompatibility of these hydrogels, supporting their potential as long-term, pH-responsive carriers for intestinal drug delivery and controlled therapeutic release.
Keywords:
Alginate
Cellulose nanocrystal
Organosilane
Hydrogels
pH-responsive
Drug release
Journal
R
IF:
5.1
Papers:
23
Citations:
0
Organization
Cited Papers