A photocleavable low molecular weight hydrogel for light-triggered drug delivery

A photocleavable low-molecular-weight hydrogel was fabricated based on coumarin with C-N bond breaking upon UV irradiation to obtain a photo-triggered drug delivery carrier. [Display omitted] A photocleavable low-molecular-weight hydrogelator (LMWG) was synthesized based on coumarin derivative. 1H NMR and UV spectroscopy study suggested that the gelator had good gelling ability, and the driving force for the gelation were hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking. This molecular hydrogel exhibited satisfied photocleavage at C-N bond in 7-amino coumarin with the light irradiation (365nm, 77.5mW/cm2). The promising photo-triggered drug release of antineoplastics cytarabine hydrochloride has been obtained, due to the photocleavage motived gel-sol transition.