TITLE:
Microrheology and Release Behaviors of Self-Assembled Steroid Hydrogels
AUTHORS:
W. Liang, J. R. Guman-Sepulveda, S. He, A. Dogariu, J. Y. Fang
KEYWORDS:
Sodium Deoxycholate, Self-Assembly, Hydrogels, Microrheology, Swelling, Release
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering,
Vol.3 No.8,
July
29,
2015
ABSTRACT: A hydrogel is formed by the self-assembly of sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) in aqueous solution
with sodium chloride at pH-7.0. The NaDC hydrogel made of the three-dimensional network of
nanofibers shows pH-dependent swelling behaviors. Polystyrene particles with a diameter of 100
nm and doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) can be easily loaded into the NaDC hydrogel through
swelling. By using the loaded polystyrene particles as a light scattering probe, we study the microrheology
of the NaDC hydrogel, showing complex viscoelastic properties. The viscous component
dominates at both low and high frequencies, while the elastic component dominates in the
intermediate range. The cavity size of the nanofiber network can also be estimated to be ~180 nm.
We show that the loaded DOX can be slowly released from the hydrogels into aqueous solution.
The release profile of DOX is found to depend on the pH value of the solution.