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A biocompatible gel that sheds its load when exposed to ultraviolet light might be used for controlled delivery of drugs and other molecules inside the body.
Weihong Tan at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Xiaoling Zhang at the Beijing Institute of Technology and their colleagues created this gel by first dissolving polymers decorated with DNA strands in water. They added DNA fragments that bind to the polymer-bound DNA, crosslinking the polymers to form a gel. These fragments also carry light-sensitive azobenzene molecules that, if hit by ultraviolet light, cause the crosslinks to break, releasing any trapped molecules. The gel unloaded a variety of test cargoes, including nanoparticles, an enzyme and the cancer drug doxorubicin, in a matter of minutes. Visible light restores the hydrogel's structure.
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Lights on for drug delivery. Nature 470, 9 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/470009f
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/470009f
