title: In situ formation of steroidal supramolecular gels designed for drug release.
abstract: In this work, a steroidal gelator containing an imine bond was synthesized, and its gelation behavior as well as a sensitivity of its gels towards acids was investigated. It was shown that the gels were acid-responsive, and that the gelator molecules could be prepared either by a conventional synthesis or directly in situ during the gel forming process. The gels prepared by both methods were studied and it was found that they had very similar macro- and microscopic properties. Furthermore, the possibility to use the gels as carriers for aromatic drugs such as 5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline, pyrazinecarboxamide, and antipyrine was investigated and the prepared two-component gels were studied with regard to their potential applications in drug delivery, particularly in a pH-controlled drug release.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, P.O. Box 35, FI-40014, Finland.
authors.forename: Hana
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bunzen
authors.forename: Erkki
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kolehmainen
mesh_terms: D002739:Chloroquinolinols / Q000737:chemistry; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D005782:Gels / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
chemical_list: D002739:Chloroquinolinols; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D005782:Gels; C043669:5-chloro-8-hydroxyquinoline