Novel sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-g-poly (sodium acrylate)/Ferric chloride (CMC-g-PNaA/FeCl₃) nanoporous hydrogel beads were prepared based on the ionic cross-linking between CMC-g-PNaA and FeCl₃. The structure of CMC and CMC-g-PNaA were elucidated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and the elemental composition was analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The physicochemical properties of the CMC-g-PNaA/FeCl₃ hydrogel beads were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The swelling percentage of hydrogel beads was studied at different time periods. The obtained CMC-g-PNaA/FeCl₃ hydrogel beads exhibited a higher nanoporous morphology than those of CMC-g-PNaA and CMC beads. Furthermore, an AFM image of the CMC-g-PNaA/FeCl₃ beads shows granule type topology. Compared to the CMC-g-PNaA (189 °C), CMC-g-PNaA/FeCl₃ hydrogel beads exhibited improvement in thermal stability (199 °C). Furthermore, CMC-g-PNaA/FeCl₃ hydrogel beads depicted a higher swelling percentage capacity of around 1452%, as compared to CMC-g-PNaA (1096%). Moreover, this strategy with preliminary results could be useful for the development of polysaccharide-based hybrid hydrogel beads for various potential applications.

In recent years, stimuli-responsive nanogels that can undergo suitable transitions under endogenous (e.g., pH, enzymes and reduction) or exogenous stimuli (e.g., temperature, light, and magnetic fields) for on-demand drug delivery, have received significant interest in biomedical fields, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, and gene therapy due to their unique environment-sensitive properties. Furthermore, these nanogels have become very popular due to some of their special properties such as good hydrophilicity, high drug loading efficiency, flexibility, and excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this article, the authors discuss current developments in the synthesis, properties, and biomedical applications of stimulus-responsive nanogels. In addition, the opportunities and challenges of nanogels for biomedical applications are also briefly predicted.

The “Warburg effect” provides a novel method for treating cancer cell metabolism. Overexpression of glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1), activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and downregulation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) have been identified as biomarkers of abnormal cancer cell metabolism. Metformin (MET) is an effective therapy for breast cancer (BC), but its efficacy is largely reliant on the concentration of glucose at the tumor site. We propose a WZB117 (a GLUT1 inhibitor)-OCMC (O-carboxymethyl-chitosan)-MET combo strategy for simultaneous GLUT1 and mTOR targeting for alteration of BC metabolism. WZB117 conjugated polymeric nanoparticles were 225.67 ± 11.5 nm in size, with a PDI of 0.113 ± 0.16, and an encapsulation of 72.78 6.4%. OCMC pH-dependently and selectively releases MET at the tumor site. MET targets the mTOR pathway in cancer cells, and WZB117 targets BCL2 to alter GLUT1 at the cancer site. WZB117-OCMC-MET overcomes the limitations of MET monotherapy by targeting mTOR and BCL2 synergistically. WZB117-OCMC-MET activates AMPK and suppresses mTOR in a Western blot experiment, indicating growth-inhibitory and apoptotic characteristics. AO/EB and the cell cycle enhance cellular internalization as compared to MET alone. WZB117-OCMC-MET affects cancer cells’ metabolism and is a promising BC therapeutic strategy.