Innate and adaptive immune systems play a crucial role in the pathology of skin diseases. Thus, there is a need for transdermal drug delivery systems that can target both populations of cells within skin at independently tunable rates. We describe a tissue-adhesive hydrogel system that contains silicone particles capable of regulating the release of small molecule drugs at defined rates. Resiquimod (a macrophage-stimulating drug) and palbociclib (a T cell-stimulating drug) are encapsulated within two types of particles embedded within the hydrogel. We demonstrate that drug release is mediated by the crosslink density of the particles, allowing bulk properties of the hydrogel (e.g., adhesion, toughness) to be decoupled from the release kinetics of drugs. We show that this hydrogel system can be used to sustainably polarize macrophages toward an anti-tumor phenotype both <i>in vitro</i> and <i>ex vivo</i>, and that the hydrogels can remain stably attached to skin explants for several days without exerting toxic effects. Our hydrogel system is compatible with standard dermatological procedures, such as microneedling or surgical resection, and readily allows for transdermal passage of drugs. The multimodal, tunable nature of this hydrogel system has implications in treating a variety of skin disorders, managing infections, and delivering vaccines at well-defined rates.

Tissue-adhesive hydrogel for multimodal drug release to immune cells in skin

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.