Gels (Mar 2024)

Cholesterol-Bearing Polysaccharide-Based Nanogels for Development of Novel Immunotherapy and Regenerative Medicine

  • Tetsuya Adachi,
  • Yoshiro Tahara,
  • Kenta Yamamoto,
  • Toshiro Yamamoto,
  • Narisato Kanamura,
  • Kazunari Akiyoshi,
  • Osam Mazda

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/gels10030206
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 3
p. 206

Abstract

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Novel functional biomaterials are expected to bring about breakthroughs in developing immunotherapy and regenerative medicine through their application as drug delivery systems and scaffolds. Nanogels are defined as nanoparticles with a particle size of 100 nm or less and as having a gel structure. Nanogels have a three-dimensional network structure of cross-linked polymer chains, which have a high water content, a volume phase transition much faster than that of a macrogel, and a quick response to external stimuli. As it is possible to transmit substances according to the three-dimensional mesh size of the gel, a major feature is that relatively large substances, such as proteins and nucleic acids, can be taken into the gel. Furthermore, by organizing nanogels as a building block, they can be applied as a scaffold material for tissue regeneration. This review provides a brief overview of the current developments in nanogels in general, especially drug delivery, therapeutic applications, and tissue engineering. In particular, polysaccharide-based nanogels are interesting because they have excellent complexation properties and are highly biocompatible.

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