title: Aptamer-functionalized hydrogel as effective anti-cancer drugs delivery agents.
abstract: An aptamer-functionalized hydrogel has been developed, which can be regulated by the AS1411 aptamer with the sol-gel conversion. Also the hydrogel can be further utilized for the controlled encapsulation and release of the cancer drugs. Specially, the AS1411 initiates the hybridization of acrydite-modified oligonucleotides to form the hydrogels and the presence of the target protein nucleolin leads the gel to dissolve as a result of reducing the cross-linking density by competitive target-aptamer binding. Based on the rheology of hydrogels, it is possible to utilize this material for storing and releasing molecules. In this research, the cancer drug doxorubicin is encapsulated inside the gel during the formation of the hydrogel and then released in the presence of nucleolin. Further experiments are carried out to prove the specific recognition of target matter. In vitro researches confirm that the aptamer-functionalized hydrogels can be used as drug carriers in targeted therapy and other biotechnological applications.
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China. Electronic address: wangzonghua@qdu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Zonghua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Jianfei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Sai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Rijun
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Yanhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center for Marine Biomass Fiber Materials and Textiles, Laboratory of Fiber Materials and Modern Textile, The Growing Base for State Key Laboratory, College of Chemical Science and Engineering, Shandong Sino-Japanese Center for Collaborative Research of Carbon Nanomaterials, Qingdao University, Ningxia Road 308, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, China.
authors.forename: Yanzhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D020100:Hydrogels
keywords: Aptamer; Drug carrier; Hydrogel; Targeted release