Temperature/pH-Responsive Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) Interpenetrating Polymer Network Aerogels for Drug Delivery Systems

Temperature/pH-responsive carboxymethyl cellulose/poly (N-isopropyl acrylamide) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) aerogels (CMC/Ca(2+)/PNIPAM aerogels) were developed as a novel drug delivery system. The aerogel has a highly open network structure with a porosity of more than 90%, which provides convenient conditions for drug release. The morphology and structure of the CMC/Ca(2+)/PNIPAM aerogels were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Micro-CT, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), pore size analysis, and cytotoxicity analysis. The analysis results demonstrate that the aerogel is non-toxic and has more active sites, temperatures, and pH response performances. The anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was successfully loaded into aerogels through physical entrapment and hydrogen bonding. The drug loading and sustained-release model of aerogels are used to fit the drug loading and sustained-release curve, revealing the drug loading and sustained-release mechanism, and providing a theoretical basis for the efficient drug loading and sustained release.