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

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 N,N'-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-Schistosoma japonicum 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.