What is it about?
The challenge. Many promising drugs (e.g., curcumin) are oily and water-shy, so they don’t travel well in the body. Our solution. A dual-encapsulation design: first tuck the drug into poloxamer micelles (nano-carriers), then lock those micelles inside a chitosan hydrogel cross-linked with citric acid. How it behaves. The gel is pH-responsive—it releases faster at mildly acidic pH (like inflamed or tumor tissue) and more slowly at normal pH. What we measured: Controlled release: ~75% at pH 7.4 over 7 days; ~84% at pH 5.5. Microstructure: micelles make the network denser, slowing diffusion. Cell compatibility: >80% viability in VERO cells across tested doses. So what? A straightforward platform to load and deliver lipophilic drugs in wound care, anti-inflammatory, and oncology settings, where acidity cues smarter release. Where could this be applied next? Wound dressings / topical gels with antioxidants or antimicrobials (curcumin is a model drug). Mucosal delivery (oral, nasal, vaginal) where pH varies and chitosan’s mucoadhesion helps. Tumor-adjacent applications, leveraging mildly acidic microenvironments. What’s still needed? In vivo performance (pharmacokinetics, local retention, efficacy). Stability and scaling (micelle loading, batch-to-batch reproducibility). Switching the payload to clinically relevant lipophilic drugs (beyond curcumin). “How to use” (for translational readers) Choose the lipophilic payload (curcumin here is a stand-in). Form micelles (poloxamer 407) to solubilize the payload. Embed micelles in chitosan hydrogel cross-linked with citric acid (biocompatible). Tune release by adjusting micelle content, cross-linking, and pH conditions.
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Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Where could this be applied next? Wound dressings / topical gels with antioxidants or antimicrobials (curcumin is a model drug). Mucosal delivery (oral, nasal, vaginal) where pH varies and chitosan’s mucoadhesion helps. Tumor-adjacent applications, leveraging mildly acidic microenvironments.
Perspectives
Next, we want to move this pH-responsive gel from the lab toward real use. We will test it in animals to see how long it stays, how much drug it releases, and whether it helps wounds heal or reduces inflammation. We will also load other oily drugs (not just curcumin) to show the platform is flexible, and explore mucosal routes (oral, nasal, vaginal) where chitosan’s stickiness may improve local delivery. To make the system practical, we will study stability, scaling, and simple manufacturing steps that keep costs low. If results are positive, we will plan early safety and regulatory steps and compare our gel with standard treatments. We welcome partners for in vivo studies, drug screening, and clinical translation, especially in wound care, oncology-adjacent uses, and anti-inflammatory therapies.
Sc.D. Hugo Gallardo Blanco
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: pH-Sensitive Chitosan-Based Hydrogels Trap Poloxamer Micelles as a Dual-Encapsulating Responsive System for the Loading and Delivery of Curcumin, Polymers, May 2025, MDPI AG,
DOI: 10.3390/polym17101335.
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