research article | 29.04.2025

Liposomal nanocellulose hydrogel for NIR-light driven on-demand drug delivery

A research paper titled Harnessing liposomal nanocellulose hydrogel for NIR-light driven on-demand drug delivery will be published in the Journal of Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications by researchers Puja Gangurde, Zahra Gounani, Jacopo Zini, Roberta Teixeira Polez, Monika Österberg, Patrick Lauren, Tatu Lajunen, and Timo Laaksonen.

This research introduces a novel drug delivery system using liposomal nanocellulose hydrogel that enables on-demand drug release triggered by near-infrared light. The system uses electrostatic interactions to create a stable, long-lasting depot-like drug reservoir within the hydrogel. By applying specific doses of near-infrared light, the thermosensitive liposomes release the encapsulated cargo, with the amount of release being tunable based on light exposure and hydrogel thickness. This biocompatible dual platform offers a promising avenue for localized and personalized drug delivery.

Timegated® Raman spectroscopy was employed in this research to analyse the acetylated cellulose nanofiber (aCNF) hydrogel before and after exposure to Near-Infrared (NIR) light. Approximately 200 mg of aCNF sample was used for each measurement, utilising a Timegate PicoRaman instrument equipped with a 532 nm pulse laser and a CMOS-SPAD detector. Measurements were performed via a non-contact probe with a laser power of ~80 mW and an exposure time of thirty minutes per measurement. Data processing involved smoothing, baseline correction, and normalization. The TG-Raman analysis was successful in illustrating similar distinguishing peaks in the spectra of aCNF samples both before and after light activation, corresponding to the base skeletal structure of nanocellulose and specific cellulose linkages. The key benefit of using TG-Raman in this context was that by comparing the spectra, the researchers could definitively show that exposure to NIR light did not cause any chemical alteration in the aCNF component of the hydrogel. This finding is important as it confirms the stability of the hydrogel matrix itself under the conditions used for cargo release from the liposomes.

You can read more from the open-access article here.

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles have gained attention for their ability to control drug release via external signals. However, challenges like biodegradation and toxicity hinder their applications. This study introduces a system by integrating light-activated liposomes with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) hydrogel, creating a controlled release system where liposomes act as drug reservoirs, protecting drug molecules and preventing unwanted cargo leakage for on-demand localized drug delivery. Our surface interaction study between cationic liposomes and nanocellulose shows that the liposomes, while not uniformly distributed, are bound to the nanocellulose hydrogel due to strong electrostatic interactions and fiber networks, thus forming a depot-like drug reservoir system.

We evaluated hydrogel thickness and light dose to optimize the cargo release. Upon activation with near-infrared light (808 nm, 1 W/cm²), the photosensitizer inside the bilayer of thermosensitive liposome generates heat, which makes liposome leaky, resulting in on-demand cargo release. We observed up to 50 % release at low dose (20 J/cm²) of light, which increased to 80 % after exposure to higher dose of light (80 J/cm²), highlighting the sensitivity of the system. This dual-platform combines the biocompatibility of nanocellulose with tunability of light-activated liposomes, presenting promising approach for on-demand drug delivery with significant potential for personalized medicine.

Liposomal nanocellulose hydrogel for NIR-light driven on-demand drug delivery

Abstract

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