Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for Oral Probiotic Delivery: Balancing Protection and Site-Specific Release.
- 1Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Hanbat National University, 125 Dongseo-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34158, Republic of Korea.
- 2School of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Kyungpook National University, 80, Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea.
Abstract
Successful oral probiotic delivery requires protection of viable cells during gastrointestinal transit followed by efficient release at the target intestinal site. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels can provide both functions, although network properties that restrict acid, bile, and enzyme transport may also delay the structural changes required for release. This review discusses how crosslink density, particle geometry, the internal microenvironment, and interfacial layers shape this protection-release relationship. pH-, enzyme/microbiota-, redox-, and multi-stimuli-responsive systems are compared with emphasis on the structural changes that allow bacterial escape. Because probiotic cells are much larger than the molecular mesh of most hydrogels, release generally requires network opening through swelling, formation or enlargement of cell-scale pores or defects, erosion, fracture, de-crosslinking, or dissolution rather than ordinary molecular diffusion. Delivery performance should therefore be evaluated using release kinetics, viability of released cells, retained cells, and total viable recovery in sequential gastrointestinal models. Strain-specific testing, storage studies, and in vivo validation will also be important. The practical goal is a reproducible protection-release window that maintains cell viability without delaying release.
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BibTeX
@article{jung2026stimuliresponsive,
title = {{Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for Oral Probiotic Delivery: Balancing Protection and Site-Specific Release.}},
author = {Sungwon Jung and Sookyung Noh and Hyeonseung Lee and Sohyeon Park},
journal = {Gels (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/gels12100861},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929896},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for Oral Probiotic Delivery: Balancing Protection and Site-Specific Release.
AU - Sungwon Jung
AU - Sookyung Noh
AU - Hyeonseung Lee
AU - Sohyeon Park
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/gels12100861
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42929896
AB - Successful oral probiotic delivery requires protection of viable cells during gastrointestinal transit followed by efficient release at the target intestinal site. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels can provide both functions, although network properties that restrict acid, bile, and enzyme transport may also delay the structural changes required for release. This review discusses how crosslink density, particle geometry, the internal microenvironment, and interfacial layers shape this protection-release relationship. pH-, enzyme/microbiota-, redox-, and multi-stimuli-responsive systems are compared with emphasis on the structural changes that allow bacterial escape. Because probiotic cells are much larger than the molecular mesh of most hydrogels, release generally requires network opening through swelling, formation or enlargement of cell-scale pores or defects, erosion, fracture, de-crosslinking, or dissolution rather than ordinary molecular diffusion. Delivery performance should therefore be evaluated using release kinetics, viability of released cells, retained cells, and total viable recovery in sequential gastrointestinal models. Strain-specific testing, storage studies, and in vivo validation will also be important. The practical goal is a reproducible protection-release window that maintains cell viability without delaying release.
SN - 2310-2861
ER -