AUTHOR=Ling Liying , Zhu Lei , Li Yibao , Liu Chunhua , Cheng Linxiu 

TITLE=Ultrasound-Induced Amino Acid-Based Hydrogels With Superior Mechanical Strength for Controllable Long-Term Release of Anti-Cercariae Drug

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.703582

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2021.703582

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=<p>Stimulus-responsive hydrogels are significantly programmable materials that show potential applications in the field of biomedicine and the environment. Ultrasound as a stimulus can induce the formation of hydrogels, which exhibit the superior performance of different structures. In this study, we reported an ultrasound-induced supramolecular hydrogel based on aspartic acid derivative <italic>N</italic>,<italic>N</italic>′-diaspartate-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic acid imide, showing superior performance in drug release. The results show that the driving force of this ultrasonic induced hydrogel could be attributed to hydrogen bonding and π-π interaction. The rheological and cytotoxicity test illustrate excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the hydrogel. The anti-<italic>Schistosoma japonicum</italic> cercariae (CC) drug release results show large drug loadings (500 mg/ml) and long-term release (15 days) of this hydrogel. This study demonstrates that this hydrogel may serve as a slow-release platform for anti-CC.</p>