Core-shell type complex gelatin scaffold systems for controlled drug release

Abstract

Hydrogels are often a favored choice of materials for drug delivery applications. This is due to their excellent bioactive properties such as cell adhesion and proliferation, proteolytic degradation, protein binding, etc. Various hydrogel materials and structures so far have been tested for their efficacy as a scaffold delivery system. Core-shell type hydrogel scaffold system is a structure consisting of a core component in the middle and a shell component completely surrounding the core. Multiple combinations of different crosslinking densities in the core and shell components of the hydrogel scaffolds was constructed and examined. Depending on the ways of combination, our core-shell type hydrogel scaffold structures exhibited different swelling kinetics, degradation rate, encapsulation efficiency and diffusion kinetics. Effects of the crosslinking densities of core and shell components on such factors were evaluated.