Lyotropic liquid crystal elastomers for drug delivery

Silicone elastomers like polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) possess a combination of attractive material and biological properties motivating their widespread use in biomedical applications. Development of elastomers with capacity to deliver active therapeutic substances in the form of drugs is of particular interest to produce medical devices with added functionality. In this work, silicone-based lyotropic liquid crystal elastomers with drug-eluting functionality were developed using PDMS and triblock copolymer (diacrylated Pluronic F127, DA-F127). Various ternary PDMS-DA-F127-H2O compositions were explored and evaluated. Three compositions were found to have specific properties of interest and were further investigated for their nanostructure, mechanical properties, water retention capacity, and morphology. The ability of the elastomers to encapsulate and release polar and nonpolar substances was demonstrated using vancomycin and ibuprofen as model drugs. It was shown that the materials could deliver both types of drugs with a sustained release profile for up to 6 and 5 days for vancomycin and ibuprofen, respectively. This works demonstrates a lyotropic liquid crystal, silicone-based elastomer with tailorable mechanical properties, water retention capacity and ability to host and release polar and nonpolar active substances.

Automated summary

In this study, silicone-based lyotropic liquid crystal elastomers with drug-eluting functionality were developed using PDMS and triblock copolymer (DA-F127). Various compositions were explored and evaluated, and three compositions with specific properties of interest were further investigated. The materials demonstrated the ability to encapsulate and release polar and nonpolar substances, with sustained release profiles for up to 6 and 5 days for vancomycin and ibuprofen, respectively. This research presents a lyotropic liquid crystal, silicone-based elastomer with tailorable mechanical properties, water retention capacity, and the ability to host and release active substances.