Calcium Phosphate/Polyacrylamide/Calcium Alginate Hybrid Hydrogel Membranes for the Controlled Release of Bovine Serum Albumin

Authors

  • Xianmei Ma
  • Siyu Wang
  • Kongyin Zhao
  • Xiaoyin Wang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62051/ijmsts.v5n3.01

Keywords:

Polyacrylamide/Calcium alginate, Hydrogel membrane, Diammonium hydrogen phosphate, BSA, Controlled release

Abstract

A polyacrylamide/calcium alginate (PAM/CaAlg) hybrid hydrogel membrane was prepared by UV-initiated free-radical polymerization and subsequent Ca2+ ionic crosslinking. Then the PAM/CaAlg membrane was further treated with diammonium hydrogen phosphate (DHP) solutions to induce calcium phosphate. The resulted calcium phosphate/polyacrylamide/calcium alginate (CP/PAM/CaAlg) hybrid hydrogel membrane was immersed in bovine serum albumin (BSA) aqueous solution for sufficient adsorption. BSA was used as a model protein to investigate the controlled-release behavior of the hybrid hydrogel membranes. The effects of acrylamide/sodium alginate mass ratio, DHP concentration and saline treatment on the swelling behavior and BSA release performance were studied. The morphology of the hydrogel membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the CP/PAM/CaAlg hybrid hydrogel membranes exhibited a porous structure, which facilitated BSA loading. Meanwhile, the calcium phosphate phase and the hybrid polymer network helped regulate the diffusion pathway of BSA, thereby improving the sustained-release performance. The swelling behavior of the membranes could be regulated by changing the polymer composition and the concentration of DHP. Compared with saline-treated membranes, the phosphate-treated membranes showed better sustained-release performance for BSA in Tris-HCl buffer. The prepared CP/PAM/CaAlg hybrid hydrogel membranes have potential application as protein drug controlled release.

References

[1] Cao, H., Duan, L., Zhang, Y., Cao, J., & Zhang, K. (2021). Current hydrogel advances in physicochemical and biological response-driven biomedical application diversity. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy, 6, 426. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41392-021-00820-9

[2] Kumar, P., Sharma, J., Kumar, R., Benova, K., Frantik, J., Kumar, J., et al. (2026). Advances in programmable hydrogels for regenerative drug delivery: A review. Journal of Polymers and the Environment, 34, 110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-025-04872-1

[3] Qi, Y., Wang, F., Liu, J., Wang, C., & Liu, Y. (2025). Enzyme-mediated hydrogelation for biomedical applications: A review. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 143379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.143379

[4] Yuk, H., Lu, B., & Zhao, X. (2019). Hydrogel bioelectronics. Chemical Society Reviews, 48, 1642–1667. https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CS00823H

[5] Zheng, G., Li, R., Wu, P., Zhang, L., Qin, Y., Wan, S., Pei, J., Yu, P., Fu, K., Meyerhoff, M. E., Liu, Y., & Zhou, Y. (2023). Controllable release of nitric oxide from an injectable alginate hydrogel. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 252, 126371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126371

[6] Mishra, A., Marco, K. P. D., Melancon, M. M., Bolinas, D. K. M., Barcena, A. J. R., Bernardino, M. R., & Melancon, M. P. (2026). Design and evaluation of alginate-based hydrogels for controlled release of cationic and anionic model compounds. Gels, 12(5), 407. https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12050407

[7] Raus, R. A., Nawawi, W. M. F. W., & Nasaruddin, R. R. (2021). Alginate and alginate composites for biomedical applications. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 16(3), 280–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajps.2021.02.001

[8] Li, J., Wu, Y., He, J., & Huang, Y. (2020). A sodium alginate-based sustained-release IPN hydrogel and its application. RSC Advances, 10, 43063–43078. https://doi.org/10.1039/D0RA07996A

[9] Shahrbabak, S. M., Jalali, S. M., Fathabadi, M. F., Tayebi-Khorrami, V., Amirinejad, M., Forootan, S., et al. (2025). Modified alginates for precision drug delivery: Advances in controlled-release and targeting systems. International Journal of Pharmaceutics: X, 100381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpx.2025.100381

[10] Shi, J., Liu, X., Shang, Y., & Cao, S. (2010). Biomineralized polysaccharide alginate membrane for multi-responsive controlled drug delivery. Journal of Membrane Science, 352(1–2), 262–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2010.02.039

[11] Mandal, S., Basu, S. K., & Sa, B. (2010). Ca²⁺ ion cross-linked interpenetrating network matrix tablets of polyacrylamide-grafted-sodium alginate and sodium alginate for sustained release of diltiazem hydrochloride. Carbohydrate Polymers, 82(3), 867–873. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.06.013

[12] Sun, J. Y., Zhao, X., Illeperuma, W. R. K., Chaudhuri, O., Oh, K. H., Mooney, D. J., Vlassak, J. J., & Suo, Z. (2012). Highly stretchable and tough hydrogels. Nature, 489, 133–136. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11409

[13] Chen, Z., Li, Z., Lin, Y., Yin, M., Ren, J., & Qu, X. (2013). Biomineralization inspired surface engineering of nanocarriers for pH-responsive, targeted drug delivery. Biomaterials, 34(4), 1364–1371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.10.062

[14] Huang, M., Wang, Y., Liu, Z., et al. (2026). Hydrogel-based drug delivery systems for enhanced tumor therapy. RSC Advances, 16, 7430–7446. https://doi.org/10.1039/D5RA09871A

[15] Cheong, E., Radford, D. C., & Gormley, A. J. (2026). Automated active learning to optimize hydrogel drug release profiles. Journal of Controlled Release, 114602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.114602

[16] Liu, Y. Q., Guo, H. Y., Hu, C. Y., & Xu, X. (2025). A novel dual pH- and temperature-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/polyacrylamide/calcium alginate hydrogel with robust mechanical performance and biocompatibility for sustainable drug release. Polymer, 128386. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2025.128386

[17] Liu, X., Deng, Y., Wang, P., Tang, H., Li, S., & Xing, Z. (2025). Improved tough and conductive polyacrylamide/sodium alginate dual-network hydrogel by ionic liquid for flexible capacitor and multifunctional sensor. Journal of Polymer Research, 32, 306. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-025-04298-7

[18] Chen, Z., Tang, J., Zhang, N., Chen, Y., Chen, Y., Li, H., & Liu, H. (2022). Dual-network sodium alginate/polyacrylamide/laponite nanocomposite hydrogels with high toughness and cyclic mechano-responsiveness. Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, 633, 127867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2021.127867

[19] Kim, J., Zhang, G., Shi, M., & Suo, Z. (2021). Fracture, fatigue, and friction of polymers in which entanglements greatly outnumber cross-links. Science, 374(6564), 212–216. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg1757

[20] Shahi, P., Yerneni, S. S., et al. (2025). From burst to controlled release: using hydrogel crosslinking chemistry to tune release of micro-crystalline active pharmaceutical ingredients. RSC Pharmaceutics, 2, 94–101. https://doi.org/10.1039/D4RP00187J

[21] Anwar, M. Z., Kathuria, H., Er, J. X., Wang, Y., et al. (2026). Hybrid hydrogels for biomedical applications: Addressing challenges in drug delivery through advanced crosslinking and nanocarrier integration. Journal of Controlled Release, 114719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconrel.2026.114719

Downloads

Published

29-05-2026

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Ma, X., Wang, S., Zhao, K., & Wang, X. (2026). Calcium Phosphate/Polyacrylamide/Calcium Alginate Hybrid Hydrogel Membranes for the Controlled Release of Bovine Serum Albumin. International Journal of Materials Science and Technology Studies, 5(3), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.62051/ijmsts.v5n3.01