A thermosensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan hydrogel as a potential co-delivery matrix for drugs on keloid inhibition

Keloid is a kind of unique human fibroproliferative dermal disease, and there are still no optimal treatment methods for it. In the present study, a thermosensitive hydroxybutyl chitosan (HBC) hydrogel as a co-delivery matrix for 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and dexamethasone sodium phosphate (DEXSP) in keloid treatment was developed. The gelation temperature of the HBC hydrogel was observed to be 25.7 °C by rheology analysis. The HBC hydrogel showed sustained drug release capacity (5-FU, 89.3 ± 3.4%; DEXSP, 95.6 ± 3.9%) for drug delivery. The HBC hydrogel was shown to be cytocompatible, while the dual drug-loaded HBC hydrogel could suppress the proliferation of keloid fibroblasts (KFs). The keloid biopsies treated with the dual drug-loaded hydrogel could be inhibited through the efficient suppression of VEGF expression within 7 days. The results suggested that the HBC hydrogel could be applied as a potential co-delivery matrix for drugs in the keloid therapy field.