Thiol-ene clickable hyaluronans: From macro-to nanogels

• The fabrication of hyaluronan-based nanogels in liposome nanoreactors is presented.
• Pentenoate-modified hyaluronan is crosslinked by poly(ethylene glycol)-bis(thiol).
• Crosslinking density is controlled by the degree of substitution of hyaluronan.

The fabrication of hyaluronic acid (HA) nanogels using a thiol-ene reaction has been demonstrated. HA was modified with pentenoate groups and then cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol)-bis(thiol) by exposure to UV light. The cross-linking density and thereby the rigidity of the obtained gels were precisely controlled by the degree of substitution of pentenoate-modified HA. Their swelling properties also depended on cross-linking density. To produce hydrogels at the nanoscale, hyaluronic acid precursors were solely confined inside liposomes before cross-linking and purified after cross-linking. The size of the resulting nanogels followed their swelling properties and was also affected by their cross-linking density. Such bionanogels with tunable mechanical and swelling properties have potential in drug delivery.

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