n this study, we used commercial polysaccharides, XG and MC, and physical blend method to produce injectable, biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel. XG solution exhibits a weak-gel behavior with good shear-thinning property; MC solution is a low viscous solution at room temperature and gelates at body temperature. XG/MC blend hydrogel, which is composed of XG and MC double networks, combines the advantages of XG and MC together. XG/MC blend is a high viscous solution with good shear-thinning property at room temperature; the blend immediately recovers its high viscosity and forms hydrogel at body temperature after injection. The gelation temperature and gelation time of the blend solution at 37 °C can be tuned by XG and MC concentrations. The storage modulus of the blend hydrogel can also be adjusted by XG and MC concentrations. XG/MC hydrogel is biocompatible and biodegradable in rat body. DOX can be loaded into hydrogel by simply mixing DOX with XG/MC blend solution at room temperature, and the loaded DOX can be released from the hydrogel sustainedly. This study demonstrates that XG/MC blend is an injectable, biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogel material for long-term drug delivery.
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