Effective Hydrogel Vascular Patch Dual-Loaded with Cycloastragenol Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and Doxycycline for Repairing Extravascular Injury in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Abstract

Endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) plays a crucial role in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in the clinic, but the aneurysm remains in the patient's body after surgery, continuing to pose a risk of progression. Cycloastragenol (CAG) is proven to be an effective anti-AAA drug, and its vascular protective effects can be further improved when the hydrophobic CAG is encapsulated into nano-sized formulations to enhance its bioavailability. In this context, this study developed an extravascular patch hydrogel loaded with CAG nanostructured lipid carriers and a hydrophilic drug of doxycycline hydrochloride (DOX). The extravascular patch delivered onto the mouse abdominal aortas can promote local permeation of hydrophilic/hydrophobic drugs at the vessel sites and provide effective vascular protection against AAA injury induced by elastase. This study introduces a novel and promising approach for AAA treatment, which can serve as a supplementary strategy after EVAR surgery.