Dexamethasone Delivery via Amphiphilic, Low-swelling Hydrogels Treats Postoperative Inflammation in Cervical Spine Applications.

ABSTRACT: Anterior cervical spine surgeries are often complicated by difficulty swallowing due to local postoperative swelling, pain, scarring, and tissue dysfunction. These postoperative events lead to systemic steroid and narcotic use. Local, sustained drug delivery may address these problems, but current materials are unsafe for tight surgical spaces due to high biomaterial swelling, especially upon degradation. To address these shortcomings, a low-swelling, amphiphilic hydrogel system termed DexaPatch is developed containing dexamethasone-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles for sustained release upon local implantation in the surgical site. The bulk amphiphilic hydrogel, comprised of 4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-maleimide macromer cross-linked with triblock dithiolated PEG-p

SUBMITTER: Linderman SW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11912108 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature