title: Core-shell capsules based on supramolecular hydrogels show shell-related erosion and release due to confinement.
abstract: Hydrogel-containing core-shell capsules are useful as drug delivery vehicles for many biomedical applications, especially when release of incorporated guests can be controlled. Here, we developed a one-step organic solvent-free method to prepare such core-shell capsules using a synthetic and a natural supramolecular hydrogel, for the core and shell, respectively. A solution containing ureido-pyrimidinone modified poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogelators and calcium chloride was drop-wise added to an alginate solution, yielding core-shell structures. It was found that the outer shell provides a confined space for the inner supramolecular hydrogel and therefore prevents swelling of the core. This consequently slows down both erosion of the less stable core, and release of dextran guests.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, and Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, NL-5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands. p.y.w.dankers@tue.nl
authors.forename: Mingyu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Meijer
authors.forename: Patricia Y W
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Dankers
mesh_terms: D000464:Alginates / Q000737:chemistry; D002122:Calcium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D002214:Capsules / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D003911:Dextrans / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000737:chemistry; D020723:Glucuronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D006603:Hexuronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000464:Alginates; D002214:Capsules; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D003911:Dextrans; D006603:Hexuronic Acids; D020100:Hydrogels; C015219:fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D020723:Glucuronic Acid; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D002122:Calcium Chloride