Recombinant human serum albumin hydrogel as a novel drug delivery vehicle

Abstract: Serum albumin acts as a physiological carrier for various compounds including drugs. A hydrogel consisting of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) was prepared to take advantage of drug binding ability of albumin for a sustained drug release carrier. The hydrogel was prepared by mixing rHSA and dithiothreitol and casted to a polystyrene mold. Hydrogel formation was thought to occur through the intermolecular interaction of the hydrophobic groups by protein denaturation. The release of sodium benzoate and salicylic acid from the hydrogel completed in 2h, while warfarin release continued for 24h. The total amounts of the drugs released from 100mg of 15 and 5% rHSA hydrogel were 2.3 and 1.4μmol for warfarin, 1.4 and 1.1μmol for salicylic acid and 0.9 and 0.9μmol for sodium benzoate. These results reflected the order of the binding ability of drugs for intact albumin indicating that the drug binding ability of HSA still remained after the hydrogel formation. However, fibroblast cells attached and proliferated well on the hydrogel, indicating that denaturation of rHSA proceeded to the extent to allow the cell attachment. The present rHSA hydrogel might be suitable for a sustained release carrier of drugs having affinity for albumin. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]