Application of Stimuli-Sensitive Hydrogel for the Treatment of Human and Animal Diseases

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 660

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Health Sciences, University “Magna Græcia” of Catanzaro, Campus Universitario “S. Venuta”, Viale S. Venuta, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Interests: hydrogels; pluronics; rheology; amphiphilic block copolymers; liposomes; polymeric nanoparticles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are three-dimensional network structures made up of synthetic and/or natural polymers that can retain a large amount of water or biological fluid under physiological conditions. Among these, stimuli-responsive hydrogels have been attracting increasing interest because of their ability to spontaneously form a network in response to specific parameters, such as pH, light, temperature, ultrasound waves, electromagnetic radiation or biological stimuli. Moreover, these systems can be characterized by self-healing properties, an advantage over traditional hydrogels. They can be easily injected in liquid form—even into irregular sites—and undergo gelation in the body, promoting a prolonged and sustained drug release, thereby improving the therapeutic outcome of various active compounds. As a result, they have made significant contributions to the advancement of non- and minimally invasive medical treatments.

The aim of this Special Issue is to showcase recent progress concerning the synthesis, characterization and applications of smart hydrogels for the treatment of human and animal diseases.

We are pleased to invite you to share your latest results and contributions in this field. Original research papers, short communications and review articles are all welcome.

Dr. Donato Cosco
Dr. Elena Giuliano
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • stimuli-responsive hydrogels
  • self healing
  • rheology
  • injectable systems
  • smart hydrogels

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

25 pages, 6293 KiB  
Article
A Fungistatic Strategy Using a Shear-Thinning pH-Responsive CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr Hydrogel for Vulvovaginal Candidiasis
by Yuanmin Zhao, Xiu Yang, Jiale Han, Chaoqi Huang, Mengliu Shao, Yan Yang, Qingliang Yang and Gensheng Yang
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(4), 527; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17040527 - 17 Apr 2025
Viewed by 327
Abstract
Background: Vulvar vaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a type of vaginitis resulting from a Candida infection of the vaginal mucosa. Traditional treatments using antibiotics often lead to resistance and disrupt the vaginal microenvironment, causing ongoing problems for patients. In response to these challenges, [...] Read more.
Background: Vulvar vaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a type of vaginitis resulting from a Candida infection of the vaginal mucosa. Traditional treatments using antibiotics often lead to resistance and disrupt the vaginal microenvironment, causing ongoing problems for patients. In response to these challenges, this study introduces a multifunctional intelligent responsive probiotic hydrogel designed to modulate the vaginal microecological environment to combat Candida albicans infection. Methods: The innovative CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr hydrogel was formulated using oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) as carriers, incorporating Lactobacillus plantarum (Lp) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lr) as active components. Comprehensive characterization of the CMCS-OHA-Lp/Lr hydrogel revealed its chemical structure, rheological properties, rapid self-healing properties, gel degradation, and the release of lactobacilli in vitro. Results: The findings demonstrated that the hydrogel’s cross-linking conferred significant physical properties. In addition, the in vitro release study of Lactobacillus showed that the cumulative release rates of Lp and Lr in the medium with pH 5.5 were 83.50 ± 2.70% and 73.31 ± 2.22%, which proved the pH-responsive release characteristics of probiotics in acidic vaginal environments. Furthermore, the storage activity of Lactobacillus indicated that the survival rates of the CMCS-OHA-Lp and CMCS-OHA-Lr hydrogels were 86.90 ± 0.20% and 85.50 ± 0.56%, respectively, proving that encapsulation within the hydrogels significantly enhanced the storage stability of probiotics. In vivo studies further confirmed that the hydrogel alleviated vulval edema symptoms and reduced C. albicans colonies in the vagina, thereby mitigating vaginal inflammation. Conclusions: In conclusion, this pH-responsive, self-healing, and shear-thinning hydrogel offers a promising approach for the clinical treatment of VVC and serves as an effective probiotic delivery vehicle. Full article
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