Thermosensitive Hydrogel Nanocomposites Based on N-Isopropylacrylamide and Acid-Activated Laponite^®: Swelling and Tunable Release of Doxorubicin

The effects of acid activation of Laponite RD (Lap) on the structure and properties of activated Lap nanoparticles (aLap) and the properties of physically cross-linked by aLap hydrogels based on poly-N-isopropylacrylamide (polyNIPAAm) have been studied. The acid activation of Lap was carried out using sulfuric acid solutions with different concentrations, namely 1–8 N, hours. It was demonstrated that an increase in activation degree increased the equilibrium swelling degree of the hydrogels and the phase-transition temperature between swollen and collapsed states. It is shown the rate of release of the cytostatic doxorubicin from thermosensitive hydrogel matrices based on aLap can be controlled by changes in pH and temperature (in the physiologically acceptable range). The synthesized physically cross-linked thermosensitive hydrogel nanocomposites seem promising for the development of modern drug carriers (in particular, anticancer drugs) with their transport to the target organ and subsequent controlled release. This electronic document is a “live” template and already defines the components of your paper [title, text, heads, etc.] in its style sheet. *CRITICAL: Do Not Use Symbols, Special Characters, Footnotes, or Math in Paper Title or Abstract. (Abstract)