Photothermal-modulated reversible volume transition of wireless hydrogels embedded with redox-responsive carbon dots

Biomater Sci. 2019 Nov 1;7(11):4800-4812. doi: 10.1039/c9bm00734b. Epub 2019 Sep 17.

Abstract

The reversible volume transition of redox-responsive hydrogels by near-infrared (NIR) irradiation has recently attracted significant attention as a novel therapy matrix for tracking and treating cancer via stimuli-responsive fluorescence on/off with controllable volume transition via a wireless sensing system. Herein, a NIR-induced redox-sensitive hydrogel was synthesized by blending a hydrogel with IR825-loaded carbon dots (CD) to achieve enhanced mobility of nanoparticles inside a gel network, and reversible volume phase transitions remotely controlled by a smartphone application via the induction of different redox environments. The presence of CD-IR825 in the thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel network imparted fluorescence, electronic and photothermal properties to the hydrogels, which resulted in volume shrinkage behavior of the hydrogel upon exposure to NIR laser irradiation due to the redox-sensitive CDs. Under the NIR on/off cycles, the photothermal temperature, fluorescence, and porous structure were reversed after turning off the NIR laser. The hydrogel responsiveness under GSH and NIR light was studied using a wireless device based on the changes in the resistance graph on a smartphone application, generating a fast and simple method for the investigation of hydrogel properties. The in vitro cell viabilities of the MDA-MB cancer cells incubated with the composite hydrogel in the presence of external GSH exhibited a higher photothermal temperature, and the cancer cells were effectively killed after the NIR irradiation. Therefore, the NIR-induced redox-responsive nanocomposite hydrogel prepared herein has potential for use in cancer treatment and will enable the study of nanoparticle motion in hydrogel networks under multiple stimuli via a wireless device using a faster and more convenient method.

MeSH terms

  • Acrylic Resins / chemistry*
  • Carbon / chemistry*
  • Cell Survival
  • Humans
  • Hydrogels / chemistry*
  • Infrared Rays
  • Molecular Structure
  • Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Phototherapy*
  • Quantum Dots / chemistry*
  • Temperature*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Acrylic Resins
  • Hydrogels
  • poly-N-isopropylacrylamide
  • Carbon