Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in cell signaling pathways, while increased production of ROS may disrupt cellular homeostasis, giving rise to a series of diseases. Therefore, materials responding to ROS at physiological levels are of great significance. In this work, a novel ROS-responsive thermogelling hydrogel based on methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(l-methionine) diblock copolymers is designed and synthesized. The mechanism for solution-to-hydrogel (sol-gel) phase transitions of the copolymer aqueous solutions is studied. Incubation of the hydrogels in the presence of peroxide hydrogen (H2 O2 ) displays a H2 O2 -responsive degradation process. The hydrogels containing Rhodamine 6G exhibit sustained release profiles that are accelerated in response to H2 O2 . An innate cytoprotective ability of the hydrogels is revealed by incubation of L929 cells with the hydrogels under oxidative stress, which reduces H2 O2 -mediated cell death. ROS produced by activated macrophages can accelerate the erosion of the hydrogel, suggesting that the hydrogel is also responsive to pathological level of H2 O2 . Meanwhile, the poly(l-methionine)-based hydrogels degrade within 6 weeks after subcutaneous injection into rats, with a good biocompatibility in vivo. Overall, the injectable, ROS-responsive hydrogels may serve as promising platforms for sustained drug delivery and cell-based therapies in treatment of diseases with local oxidative stress.
Keywords: cell protection; oxidation-responsive hydrogel; poly(l-methionine); thermosensitive hydrogel; triggered drug release.
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