Magnetic Hydrogel Microrobots Delivery System for Deafness Prevention

Hydrogel microrobots have blazed new avenues for local drug administration, while their values in inner ear drug delivery remain to be explored. Here, novel magnetic alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)-conjugated gelatin methacryloyl hydrogel microrobots are presented for inner ear drug delivery and deafness prevention. The magnetic hydrogel microrobots with features of slow drug release, targeted movement, and biosafety are generated from microfluidic devices. After intratympanic injection, the microrobots can be oriented in the middle ear cavity under a specific magnetic field. In addition, the ALA drug released from the magnetic hydrogel microrobots can remain in the inner ear for a long time. Based on these advantages, the practical value of the magnetic hydrogel microrobots in deafness prevention is demonstrated by pre-injecting them in the middle ear of cisplatin-deafened mice. These results indicate that the proposed smart magnetic hydrogel microrobots can effectively deliver drugs to the inner ear through the middle ear drug delivery route, thus opening a new chapter for middle ear deafness treatment.