Linseed-based hydrogel nanocomposites for pH-responsive and controlled insulin delivery: design, characterization, and in vitro kinetic analysis

IF 4 3区化学 Q2 POLYMER SCIENCE

Polymer Bulletin Pub Date : 2025-07-07 DOI:10.1007/s00289-025-05917-x

Farya Shabir, Asif Mahmood, Muhammad Zaman, Rai Muhammad Sarfraz, Abir Boublia, Hira Ijaz, Muhammad Rouf Akram, Ayesha Mahmood, Barbara Ernst, Mohammad Raish, Yacine Benguerba

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Abstract

This study presents the design, development, and characterization of pH-responsive hydrogels and hydrogel nanocomposites (HNCs) tailored for the safe oral delivery of insulin. A number of formulations of the aforementioned networks were developed utilizing acrylic acid and methacrylic acid (monomers) and a crosslinker in variable amounts. Swelling investigations confirmed minimal expansion at acidic pH (1.2) and significant swelling at physiological pH (7.4), aligning with controlled insulin release in the intestinal environment. Concentration variations of monomers and crosslinkers influenced swelling (89.45–98.5%), gel fraction (82.47–98.34%), and loading efficiency (69.98–97.63%). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) validated the successful formation of grafts and safe loading of insulin. Morphological analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that surface variations were influenced by the inclusion of Ins-Mmt nanoclay. X-ray diffraction (PXRD) studies indicated that the optimized formulation retains the physical form of insulin. Thermal investigations (DSC and TGA) demonstrated enhanced thermal stability in the case of HNCs. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) confirmed the effective incorporation of the insulin–montmorillonite nanoclay (Ins-Mmt) complex within the hydrogel. Release studies indicated controlled and pH-responsive insulin release (72.52–94.52%, up to 24 h), with kinetic modeling fitting the Korsmeyer–Peppas model, suggesting non-Fickian diffusion. Based on the release kinetics, the Ins-Mmt complex containing linseed and acrylic acid-based hydrogel formulation (Ins-Mmt-LA6) was considered the optimized formulation. This comprehensive characterization establishes the potential of these formulations for pH-responsive and safe oral insulin delivery, offering insights for future advancements in controlled drug release systems.

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基于亚麻籽的水凝胶纳米复合材料用于ph响应和控制胰岛素递送：设计，表征和体外动力学分析

本研究介绍了用于安全口服胰岛素的ph响应水凝胶和水凝胶纳米复合材料（HNCs）的设计、开发和表征。利用不同数量的丙烯酸和甲基丙烯酸（单体）以及交联剂，开发了上述网络的许多配方。肿胀调查证实，在酸性pH值（1.2）下最小膨胀，在生理pH值（7.4）下显著膨胀，与肠道环境中胰岛素释放控制一致。单体和交联剂的浓度变化影响溶胀率（89.45 ~ 98.5%）、凝胶分数（82.47 ~ 98.34%）和负载效率（69.98 ~ 97.63%）。傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）验证了移植物的成功形成和胰岛素的安全负载。利用扫描电镜（SEM）进行的形态分析表明，纳米粘土的包合影响了表面的变化。x射线衍射（PXRD）研究表明，优化后的配方保持了胰岛素的物理形态。热研究（DSC和TGA）表明HNCs的热稳定性增强。能量色散x射线光谱（EDX）证实了胰岛素-蒙脱土纳米粘土（Ins-Mmt）复合物在水凝胶中的有效结合。释放研究表明胰岛素释放受控制且ph响应（72.52-94.52%，可达24 h），动力学模型符合Korsmeyer-Peppas模型，表明非菲克扩散。基于释放动力学，考虑了亚麻籽-丙烯酸基水凝胶配合物（Ins-Mmt- la6）的最佳配方。这一综合表征确定了这些配方在ph响应和安全口服胰岛素递送方面的潜力，为控制药物释放系统的未来发展提供了见解。

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来源期刊

Polymer Bulletin 化学-高分子科学

CiteScore

6.00

自引率

6.20%

发文量

审稿时长

5.5 months

期刊介绍： "Polymer Bulletin" is a comprehensive academic journal on polymer science founded in 1988. It was founded under the initiative of the late Mr. Wang Baoren, a famous Chinese chemist and educator. This journal is co-sponsored by the Chinese Chemical Society, the Institute of Chemistry, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and is supervised by the China Association for Science and Technology. It is a core journal and is publicly distributed at home and abroad. "Polymer Bulletin" is a monthly magazine with multiple columns, including a project application guide, outlook, review, research papers, highlight reviews, polymer education and teaching, information sharing, interviews, polymer science popularization, etc. The journal is included in the CSCD Chinese Science Citation Database. It serves as the source journal for Chinese scientific and technological paper statistics and the source journal of Peking University's "Overview of Chinese Core Journals."