Carboxymethylated Tunicate Cellulose Nanogels for Ultrasound-assisted Transdermal Drug Delivery

초록

Tunicate aquaculture yields approximately 8 kilotons of biomass annually, with 43% of shell byproducts being disposed of as waste, creating bioaccumulation issues due to their uncontrollable degradation profile. Tunicate-derived cellulose (TC) shows superior biomechanical properties compared to plant cellulose, making it suitable for biomaterial applications. Existing transdermal drug delivery systems (TDDS) face challenges, including limited skin barrier permeation, local irritation, skin damage, low biocompatibility, and low drug encapsulation efficiency. TDDS combined with ultrasound can transiently disrupt the skin barrier, enhancing drug permeation. However, the mechanical stress and localized heating caused by ultrasound may compromise the structural integrity of many drug delivery systems. The high crystallinity and outstanding mechanical strength of TC ensure remarkable resistance to ultrasonic-assisted structural changes, creating a stable matrix that withstands deformation. Moreover, nanogels serve as deformable and biocompatible carriers capable of penetrating transiently disrupted skin barriers while maintaining structural cohesion under ultrasound stimulation, enabling sustained and localized drug release within a tunable viscoelastic matrix. By integrating the ultrasound-assistant structure of TC with the functional benefits of nanogels, we propose a TC-based nanogel platform optimized for ultrasound-assisted TDDS.