RESUMEN
A novel thermosensitive hydrogel consisting of phosphorylated ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD-PH), ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD) and chitosan was prepared by embedding ßCD and ßCD-PH, into the well-studied chitosan/αß-glycerophosphate system (CS/αßGP). The relevance of this work is the use of ßCD-PH to partially substitute αßGP as the gelling agent. The role of ßCD and ßCD-PH on the rheological properties of hydrogels, gelation time, and gelation temperature were investigated. The gelation time for all the samples (CS/αßGP, CS/αßGP/ßCD, and CS/αßGP/ßCD-PH) was less than a minute at 37 °C, which is suitable for biomedical applications. The gelation temperature for hydrogel CS/αßGP/ßCD-PH increased linearly with the addition of ßCD-PH within the interval 31.8-37.3 °C, at ratios CS:ßCD-PH of 1:0.5, 1:1, 1:1.5 and 1:2 (w/w). The hydrogel thus obtained has potential applications in dual drug delivery (hydrophilic and hydrophobic).