PhD student Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Introduction: During inflammation, immune cells produce excessive levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which amplify inflammatory pathways, causing oxidative stress and tissue damage (1). In Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, ROS-responsive drug delivery is a promising treatment by enabling targeted drug release and providing local antioxidant effects (2). One example of such materials is polymers with hydrophobic thioether groups that oxidize to hydrophilic sulfones and sulfoxides, altering solubility and accelerating carrier breakdown at inflamed sites (3).
Learning Objectives:
Explain the role of ROS in inflammation and explain the concept of ROS-responsive drug delivery systems.
Evaluate how polymer blending may affect fiber morphology.
Determine the influence of thioether-containing polymer on ROS-scavenging capacity and drug release.
