Smart Gels in Drug formulations

Low molecular weight gelators (LMWG) are molecules that form complex fibre-rich networks via non-covalent interactions in the presence of aqueous solvents. Supramolecular hydrogels have shown attractive properties in acting as carriers of drug moieties. This is a result of their high-water content, simple molecular structures, and stimuli responsiveness all of which contribute to the potential use in biomedical applications. The novel Benzyl glutamine hydrogel is the centre of this research. The study begins with the focus on the development of new gelator systems based of the Benzyl glutamine scaffold. By tuning functional groups of the molecule, various derivatives were acquired and knowledge of key components of the structure that control the molecules gelation were determined.
Having been successfully capable of delivering levodopa intranasally, we were interested to further examine Benzyl glutamine as a drug delivery system. The hydrogel is used as a platform for the encapsulation and release of drugs with different properties. The study demonstrated the compatibility of the gel with specific molecules and their impact on the integrity of the gel. We observed that the ideal drug cargo profile of the gel are drugs with high-water solubility and low molecular weight.
As a consequence of possessing dynamic non-covalent interactions, LMWGs are generally rheologically weak. To enhance the robustness of Benzyl glutamine, the LMWG was introduced to seaweed polymer extracts, alginate and agarose respectively, forming multicomponent gel beads. We explored the drug delivery application of the novel formulations, our groups LMWG’s (DBS-CONHNH2 and DBS-COOH), and their respective hybrid beads with the drugs propranolol and levodopa. The study provided an insight into the different release profiles carried out by each gel system.
A novel approach produced by Fittreman was explored with the Benzyl glutamine gelator to produce self-standing networks. The technique involves an injectable solvent switch methodology, enabling the development of gel filaments and ultimately the formation of 3D printed scaffolds. The investigation discusses the different parameters to consider in developing such constructs and the potential biomedical uses of our LMWG’s developed through this technique.