Preparation of a Noncytotoxic Hemocompatible Ion Gel by Self-Polymerization of HEMA in a Green Deep Eutectic Solvent

Self-polymerization of optimized amount of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) in a natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES) is obtained by the complexation between choline chloride and fructose (ChCl:Fruc. 2:1) in the presence of indomethacin, an anti-inflammatory drug resulted formation of a drug-immobilized ion gel. The ion gel thus obtained is found to be stable in gastrointestinal fluid pH (GIF) and sustained release in simulated lower intestinal fluid for 20 h (88% release) at pH 6.8 and 96% release at pH 7.4 for 15 h (colon & blood pH) at physiological human body temperature (37 °C) of the drug is recorded. The drug can be stored in the gel matrices at room temperature for long durations such as 6 months without any degradation. The ion gel of poly-HEMA obtained in the NADES does not appear to inhibit the growth of mammalian cells in vitro and is found to be compatible to human blood thus implying toward their potential for therapeutic applications as pH-sensitive hydrophobic drug carrier for oral application as well as in tissue engineering.