Double-stimuli-responsive degradation of hydrogels consisting of oligopeptide-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) and dextran with an interpenetrating polymer network

Biodegradable hydrogels consisting of oligopeptide-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and dextran (Dex) with an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure were prepared as models of novel biomaterials exhibiting a double-stimuli-response function. The IPN-structured hydrogels were synthesized by sequential cross-linking reaction of N-methacryloyl-glycylglycylglycyl-terminated PEG and Dex. In vitro degradation of the IPN-structured hydrogels was examined using papain and dextranase as model enzymes of hydrolyzing oligopeptide and Dex, respectively. Specific degradation in the presence of papain and dextranase was observed in the IPN-structured hydrogel with a particular composition of oligopeptide-PEG and Dex. This same hydrogel was not degraded by one of the two enzymes. The IPN-structured hydrogels were characterized by water content, thermal mechanical analysis, and wide-angle X-ray diffraction, and the results were compared with those of co-cross-linked hydrogels consisting of N-methacryloyl-glycylglycylglycyl-terminated PEG and methacryloyl Dex. The results suggest that the IPN-structured hydrogels contain physical chain entanglements between networks as well as chemical cross-linked networks. It is concluded that the double-stimuli-responsive degradation observed in the IPN-structured hydrogel is achieved by controlling the chain entanglements between the two biodegradable polymers. Such degradation property of the IPN-structured hydrogel can be useful as a fail-safe system for guaranteed drug delivery and/or medical micromachines.