Chondroitin sulfate-based smart hydrogels for targeted delivery of oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer: preparation, characterization and toxicity evaluation

The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of chondroitin sulfate, acrylic acid and ammonium peroxodisulfate in formulation of a novel biodegradable and pH-sensitive hydrogel for targeted delivery of an anticancer drug oxaliplatin. The synthesized hydrogel was characterized by FTIR, thermal analysis and SEM. FTIR indicated efficient grafting. Thermogravimetric analysis depicted thermodynamically stable behavior. SEM of developed hydrogels revealed rough surface. pH-sensitivity was confirmed through swelling dynamics and drug release behavior at pH 1.2 and pH 7.4. Acute oral toxicity study indicated no mortality or any signs of acute toxicity during the whole observation period. Hence, the designed polymeric network could be considered safe and is potential candidate for colon targeting of oxaliplatin in colorectal cancer.