Injectable thermo-responsive hydrogel composed of xanthan gum and methylcellulose double networks with shear-thinning property

Injectable hydrogel precursor solution was prepared by physical blend of xanthan gum (XG) and methylcellulose (MC) in aqueous solution. Due to the formation of XG network composed of XG double helical strand structure, XG/MC blend was a high viscous solution with good shear-thinning property at room temperature. When the temperature was changed from 23 to 37 °C, thermo-responsive MC network formed, which caused XG/MC blend solution to gelate. The gelation time and storage modulus of the blend can be tuned by XG and/or MC concentrations. Both in vitro and in vivo investigations revealed that the blend solution immediately recovered its high viscosity and rapidly formed hydrogel at body temperature after injection using a syringe. In vivo biocompatibility and biodegradability of the hydrogel were validated by implantation of the hydrogel in rats. In vitro investigation demonstrated that XG/MC blend is a promising injectable hydrogel material for long-term drug delivery.