Supramolecular hydrogel of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: preparation, characterization and ocular biocompatibility

A supramolecular hydrogel based on a peptide (GFFY) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (naproxen and ibuprofen) was synthesized for use as a topical gel. Using a heating-cooling strategy, the drug-peptide derivatives could self-assemble into nanofibers in aqueous solution to produce a supramolecular hydrogel. The different drug molecules used as the capping group had a profound effect on the self-assembly behaviour measured by circular dichroism. The supramolecular hydrogels were confirmed by rheological measurements to be thixotropic and had no apparent toxicity in vitro against HCEC and L-929 cells after 24 h incubation. More importantly, an in vivo ocular biocompatibility test indicated that the supramolecular hydrogels were well tolerated in rabbits and had satisfactory ocular biocompatibility, suggesting that they are promising candidates for the delivery of ocular drugs.