Salma Abdullah Althobaiti
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Research Subjects
Research Interests
Salma Abdullah Althobaiti has a total of 7 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Dong Wang
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6125, USA
1 shared publication - Edward V. Fehringer
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5640, USA
1 shared publication - Eleanor Clare Ransdell-Green
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6120, USA
1 shared publication - Jie Rong
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6120, USA
1 shared publication - Shabnam Arash
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6120, USA
1 shared publication - Shanshan Liu
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-6125, USA
1 shared publication
Latest Publications
- Open Access
- 21 July 2026
- Published by MDPI AG in Nanomaterials
- Vol. 16 (14) , 893
The Development of Four-Arm PEG-Based Thermoresponsive Dexamethasone Prodrugs for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis Pain
Thermoresponsive polymeric prodrugs represent a promising strategy for localized and sustained in vivo drug delivery. In this work, two polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based dexamethasone (Dex) prodrugs with different Dex contents were synthesized using a four-arm PEG scaffold. Prodrug 1, containing four Dex molecules, showed high aqueous solubility but no thermoresponsive gelation behavior. In contrast, eight-Dex Prodrug 2 exhibited temperature-dependent aggregation and formed hydrogels in aqueous media. The viscosity of the Prodrug 2 hydrogel was reduced by introducing 10% ethanol as a cosolvent, enabling an injectable formulation that rapidly forms a hydrogel depot upon contact with aqueous media. The hydrogel provides gradual Dex release via the cleavage of the acid-labile hydrazone bond linking Dex to the PEG. In a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis (OA) pain model, intra-articular (IA) injection of Prodrug 2 produced rapid and sustained pain relief for up to 28 days. These findings indicate that the hydrogel-forming four-arm PEG-based Dex prodrug offers a potentially effective approach for prolonged local corticosteroid (CS) delivery, applicable to the treatment of many local pathologies, including OA and OA pain.
- 21 July 2026
- Published by MDPI AG in Nanomaterials
- Vol. 16 (14) , 893
Open AccessThe Development of Four-Arm PEG-Based Thermoresponsive Dexamethasone Prodrugs for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis Pain
Thermoresponsive polymeric prodrugs represent a promising strategy for localized and sustained in vivo drug delivery. In this work, two polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based dexamethasone (Dex) prodrugs with different Dex contents were synthesized using a four-arm PEG scaffold. Prodrug 1, containing four Dex molecules, showed high aqueous solubility but no thermoresponsive gelation behavior. In contrast, eight-Dex Prodrug 2 exhibited temperature-dependent aggregation and formed hydrogels in aqueous media. The viscosity of the Prodrug 2 hydrogel was reduced by introducing 10% ethanol as a cosolvent, enabling an injectable formulation that rapidly forms a hydrogel depot upon contact with aqueous media. The hydrogel provides gradual Dex release via the cleavage of the acid-labile hydrazone bond linking Dex to the PEG. In a monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced osteoarthritis (OA) pain model, intra-articular (IA) injection of Prodrug 2 produced rapid and sustained pain relief for up to 28 days. These findings indicate that the hydrogel-forming four-arm PEG-based Dex prodrug offers a potentially effective approach for prolonged local corticosteroid (CS) delivery, applicable to the treatment of many local pathologies, including OA and OA pain.