Injectable Multi-Drug Loaded Hydrogels for Contraception

Authors

  • Lei Nie College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China and Henan Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
  • Peng Zou Downhole Technology Service Company, Bohai Drilling Engineering Company Limited, CNPC, Dagang, Tianjin 300283, China.
  • Meng Sun College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China and Henan Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
  • Yanting Han College of Life Sciences, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China and Henan Key Laboratory of Tea Plant Biology, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
  • Chingching Ji Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Takustr. 3, Berlin 14195, Germany.
  • Qiuju Zhou Analysis & Testing Center, Xinyang Normal University, Xinyang 464000, China.
  • Jinping Suo State Key Laboratory of Mould Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nicst/v5/6274D

Keywords:

Vaginal hydrogels, injectable, contraception, multi-drug release, mucoadhesive, biodegradability

Abstract

Injectable intravaginal hydrogels could deliver drugs systemically without a hepatic first-pass effect. The vaginal route has many advantages due to its large surface area, rich blood supply, relatively high permeability of many drugs, and self-insertion. This paper focuses on the contraceptive function of an injectable temperature-sensitive four-arm star-shaped poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid)-b-methoxy poly(ethylene glycol) (4sPLGA-mPEG) block copolymer hydrogels as a carrier of three drugs. In vitro controlled release profiles were investigated via HPLC, and it showed that the cumulative release amounts of indomethacin (IMC), gestodene (GSD), and ethinyl estradiol (EE) from copolymer hydrogels could be regulated by adjusting the lactide/glycolide (LA/GA) mol ratio. In addition, in vitro release profiles of IMC, GSD, and EE well corresponded to Higuchi model. The acute toxicity of copolymer hydrogels loaded with different dosage contents multi-drug was evaluated in vivo. As to the high dosage group, the uterus was hydropic at day 1 and ulcerated at day 5, followed by intestinal adhesion. Regarding the middle dosage group, no festering of tissues was observed and, blood coagulum existed in the uterus on different days. For low dosage group, no significant tissue necrosis was found. Finally, the antifertility experiments confirmed that hydrogels loaded with the multi-drug had an excellent contraceptive effect. The above results indicated that injectable copolymer hydrogel as a multi-drug carrier was promising as a novel contraception method.

Published

2021-02-13

How to Cite

Lei Nie, Peng Zou, Meng Sun, Yanting Han, Chingching Ji, Qiuju Zhou, & Jinping Suo. (2021). Injectable Multi-Drug Loaded Hydrogels for Contraception. New Ideas Concerning Science and Technology Vol. 5, 92–115. https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nicst/v5/6274D

Issue

New Ideas Concerning Science and Technology Vol. 5

Section

Chapters