Adaptive covalently assembled thymopentin/hyaluronic acid based anti-inflammatory drug carrier with injectability and controlled release.

Developing bioactive delivery carriers with anti-inflammatory functions, long-term administration, and controlled release of multiple drugs is highly desirable owing to disease persistence over an extended period. In this study, a dynamically induced covalent assembly approach was used to fabricate thymopentin (TP5)-based carrier particles (TGCP) with biocompatibility and autofluorescence. The size and dispersibility of TGCP can be modulated by non-covalent interactions with hyaluronic acid (HA), endowing the system with excellent injectability and synergistic anti-inflammatory activity. Interestingly, the carrier can load a wide range of guest molecules with varying solubilities and achieve controlled gradient release in pathological and physiological environments. In addition, traditional Chinese-medicine-loaded TGCP/HA can effectively reduce the level of the inflammatory factor IL-6, indicating its potential anti-inflammatory properties. The TP5/HA-based material possesses excellent carrier properties and immunoreactivity, making it attractive for reducing inflammation at disease sites and long-term drug delivery in various chronic diseases.