For many conditions, it is necessary for patients to be treated with several different medications that need to be taken at fixed intervals. This can make life difficult for patients and increases the risk of skipped doses. To alleviate this issue, it would be ideal to be able to create a single pharmaceutical product that could release its ingredients at specific times.
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In a new study published in the Journal of Controlled Release, researchers from the Technical University of Munich report that they are one step closer to a controlled-release medication. The team has developed a process by which nanoparticles containing several active ingredients can be released in pre-defined sequence under conditions similar to the human body using a combination of hydrogels and artificial DNA.
While ointments or creams that release their active ingredients with a time delay are nothing new, there is no way to precisely time it so that multiple ingredients do not release simultaneously.
The release cascade for the new process is mediated by complementary DNA sequences that create nanoparticle aggregates. These aggregates are embedded into distinct layers of a hydrogel, ready for a trigger to signal their release. The release is initiated through contact with a saline solution, thus mimicking the physiological conditions it will encounter when it makes contact with the human body.
The clusters of nanoparticles release in sequential order, the second cluster cannot release until the structure of the first cluster has dissolved, and so on. The researchers used spectroscopic methods to track the exit of the particles from the gel.
The researchers see this mechanism working effectively in ointments as their consistency makes them ideal for a hydrogel-based approach, but also note that the principle could potentially be used in ingested tablets.
Image: Different kinds of nanoparticles are bound together by DNA fragments and Ceren Kimna released at specific times. Such connections may become the basis of drugs that release their active ingredients in sequence. Image courtesy of Ceren Kimna / TUM.