Amphiphilic mannan, produced by the Michael addition of hydrophobic 1-hexadecanethiol to vinyl methacrylated mannan, self-assembles in aqueous medium through hydrophobic interactions among alkyl chains. Resultant nanogel is stable, spherical, polydisperse, with 50-140 nm mean hydrodynamic diameter depending on the polymer degree of substitution, and nearly neutral negative surface charge. No cy...

We report here a hepatoma-targeting multi-responsive biodegradable crosslinked nanogel, poly(6-O-vinyladipoyl-D-galactose-ss-N-vinylcaprolactam-ss-methacrylic acid) P(ODGal-VCL-MAA), using a combination of enzymatic transesterification and emulsion copolymerization for intracellular drug delivery. The nanogel exhibited redox, pH and temperature-responsive properties, which can be adjusted by va...

Curcumin is a natural polyphenol with anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Its therapeutic potential is substantially hindered by the rather low water solubility and bioavailability, hence the need for suitable carriers. In this study, we show that self-assembled nanogels obtained from hydrophobically modified dextrin are effective curcumin nanocarriers. The stability a...

We developed a robust nanosecond photonic crystal switching material by using poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) nanogel colloidal particles that self-assemble into crystalline colloidal arrays (CCAs). The CCA was polymerized into a loose-knit hydrogel which permits the individual embedded nanogel PNIPAM particles to coherently and synchronously undergo their thermally induced volume phase tr...

Smart polymer nanogel-assisted drug delivery systems have attracted more and more attention in cancer chemotherapy because of their well-defined morphologies and pleiotropic functions in recent years. In this work, an L-cystine-crosslinked reduction-responsive polypeptide nanogel of methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(L-phenylalanine-co-L-cystine) (mPEG-P(LP-co-LC)) was employed as a smart excip...

RAFT polymerization was utilized to prepare an amphiphilic block copolymer containing both hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments. The self-assembly behavior of the block copolymer into nano-scale particulate structures was studied in both water and polar organic solvents. Uniform micelle assemblies were stabilized by reaction within the hydrophobic core, which contained pendant azide groups, thr...

Montmorillonite (MMT) clay mineral is widely used as filler for several organic coatings. Its activity is increased by exfoliation via chemical modification to produce nanomaterials. In the present work, the modification of MMT to form nanogel composites is proposed to increase the dispersion of MMT into epoxy matrices used to fill cracks and holes produced by the curing exotherms of epoxy resi...

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool to treat diseases and elucidate target gene function. Prior to clinical implementation, however, challenges including the safe, efficient and targeted delivery of siRNA must be addressed. Here, we report cationic nanogel nanostructured polymers (NSPs) prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) for in vitro and in vivo siRNA delivery in mam...

In the present study, a pH sensitive nanogel platform for gene delivery was developed. The cationic nanogels based on dendritic polyglycerol (dPG) and low molecular weight polyethylenimine units were able to encapsulate siRNA during the manufacturing process. The thiol-Michael nanoprecipitation method, which operates under mild conditions and did not require any catalyst or surfactant, was used...

Nanofiber-based hydrogels (nanogels) with different, covalently bound peptides were used as an extracellular environment for lens epithelial cells (LECs) in order to modulate the capsular opacification (CO) response after lens surgery in a porcine eye model. Lenses were divided into 15 groups (n = 4 per group), the lens content was removed and the empty capsules were refilled with nanogel witho...