Self-assembling glycyrrhizic acid micellar hydrogels as encapsulant carriers for delivery of curcumin

Micellar hydrogels formed by direct self-assembly of natural compounds have attracted widespread attention as delivery systems owing to their distinctive structures, excellent biocompatibility and simple preparation methods. Herein, we report on glycyrrhizic acid (GA), which is directly self-assembled into micellar hydrogels to encapsulate curcumin (Cur) through non-covalent interactions without excipients or structural modifications. Owing to their reversible non-covalent interactions, the micellar hydrogels have outstanding shear-thinning, self-healing ability and temperature-responsive behavior. Notably, the mechanical properties and release rates of the micellar hydrogels can be easily tuned by adjusting the concentration of GA. Furthermore, the GA@Cur micellar hydrogels have exhibited superior stability, remarkable biocompatibility and better antioxidant properties than free Cur, benefiting from improved solubility and stability. In brief, this micellar hydrogel inherits the advantages of both micelles and hydrogels: it has characteristics of micelles, naturally encapsulates Cur and has the ability of hydrogels to control long-term release. We believe this study will offer an innovative strategy to deliver Cur efficiently.