G-QUADRUPLEX HYDROGEL FOR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS: MECHANICAL CHARACTERIZATIONS AND CONTROLLED RELEASE ASSAYS OF CURCUMIN FOR TOPICAL USE

Supramolecular hydrogels formed from G-quadruplex derived from nucleic acids are very attractive systems due to their potential applications in nano and biotechnology. This project aimed to develop and characterize a curcumin delivery system using hydrogels formed from guanine (G) derivatives, i.e., guanosine 5' monophosphate (GMP) and guanosine (Gua), through the use of binary mixtures of these derivatives dissolved in water (95%).
The Gua:GMP molar ratios studied were 1:1, 1:2, 3:4 and 1:6. For the incorporation of curcumin, a concentration of 1 mg/mL was used in all these proportions. The characterizations of the hydrogels were done through rheological thermostability assays, in which it was shown that the incorporation of curcumin does not affect the stability of the gel. Liberation and permeation assays will be presented.
In addition, it was possible to conclude that the 1:2 sample resulted quite homogeneous following curcumin incorporation. Besides, small angle X-Ray scattering results showed a change in the hydrogels structure upon curcumine incorporation.
This work was carried out with the support of CNPq. AO thanks to University of São Paulo (USP) for the PUB fellowship.