Multifunctional Magnetothermo-Responsive Smart Hydrogel for On-Demand Controlled Drug Release in Cancer Therapy.

Authors

Zahra Moazzami Goudarzi, Sohrab Asgaran, Magdalena Osial, Njemuwa Nwaji, Dorota Kołbuk, Arkadiusz Gradys, Bartlomiej Kalaska, Olga Urbanek, Paweł Sajkiewicz

Published in

ACS applied materials & interfaces. Aug 10, 2026. Epub Aug 10, 2026.

Abstract

Targeted and on-demand drug delivery technologies have attracted considerable interest for personalized cancer therapies. In this study, we developed a UV-crosslinkable and thermo-responsive gelatin methacrylate (GelMa)-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) (G/P) hybrid hydrogel, integrated with folic acid-functionalized superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and alternating magnetic field (AMF) evaluations confirmed that introducing GelMa modulated the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) to approximately 32 °C while enabling efficient magnetothermal response. Cyclic compression tests demonstrated superior mechanical properties. The 2.5G/P hydrogel achieved a compressive strength of 0.06 MPa at 78% strain, outperforming pure GelMa (0.023 MPa) and PNIPAM (0.012 MPa), with the highest modulus of elasticity at both 25 and 37 °C. In vitro biocompatibility assays using L929 fibroblasts indicated excellent cytocompatibility with >70% viability over 7 days. Furthermore, the hydrogel demonstrated excellent blood compatibility with a hemolysis ratio below 2%, complying with ISO 10993-4 standards. Synergistic reduction in cell viability was observed in human lung adenocarcinoma (NCI-H1975) and fibroblast-like osteosarcoma (MG-63) cell lines when combining drug loading and simulated AMF thermal stimulation. Triggered by hyperthermia at 41 °C, the hydrogel demonstrated a highly controlled, pulsatile 'ON/OFF' drug release profile of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) driven by network shrinkage, achieving a maximum cumulative release of 72.6% over 28 days with a well-defined biphasic kinetic pattern. These results show that this dual-stimuli responsive hydrogel is a mechanically robust, highly efficient platform for controlled cancer therapy.

PMID:
42571655
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Aug 2026.

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