Bacteriophage delivery systems based on composite polyHIPE/nanocellulose hydrogel particles

Kopač, Tilen (author), Lisac, Ana (author), Mravljak, Rok (author), Ručigaj, Aleš (author), Krajnc, Matjaž (author), Podgornik, Aleš (author)

The role of bacteriophage therapy in medicine has recently regained an important place. Oral phage delivery for gastrointestinal treatment, transport through the stomach, and fast release in the duodenum is one of such applications. In this work, an efficient polyHIPE/hydrogel system for targeted delivery of bacteriophages with rapid release at the target site is presented. T7 bacteriophages were encapsulated in low crosslinked anionic nanocellulose-based hydrogels, which successfully protected phages at pH < 3.9 (stomach) and completely lost the hydrogel network at a pH above 3.9 (duodenum), allowing their release. Hydrogels with entrapped phages were crosslinked within highly porous spherical polyHIPE particles with an average diameter of 24 µm. PolyHIPE scaffold protects the hydrogels from mechanical stimuli during transport, preventing the collapse of the hydrogel structure and the unwanted phage release. On the other hand, small particle size, due to the large surface-to-volume ratio, enables rapid release at the target site. As a consequence, a fast zero-order release was achieved, providing improved patient compliance and reduced frequency of drug administration. The proposed system therefore exhibits significant potential for a targeted drug delivery in medicine and pharmacy.

• Language: English
• Keywords: TEMPO nanocellulose, T7 bacteriophage, encapsulation, drug diffusion, zero-order release
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FKKT - Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 16, art. 2648
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-129027
• UDC: 678:615:578.81
• ISSN on article: 2073-4360
• DOI: 10.3390/polym13162648
• COBISS.SI-ID: 73830403
• Publication date in RUL: 24.08.2021

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Polymers
• Shortened title: Polymers
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2073-4360
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517951257

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 09.08.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: TEMPO nanoceluloza, bakteriofag T7, inkapsulacija, difuzija učinkovin, sproščanje ničtega reda