Injectable hydrogel systems for local cancer therapy

• Published in: Journal of pharmaceutical investigation Vol. 54; no. 5; pp. 555 - 591
• Main Authors: Kim, Sungyun, Kim, Dae-Duk, Karmakar, Mrinmoy, Cho, Hyun-Jong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.09.2024; 한국약제학회
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Review; 약학; Polymeric hydrogel; Injection; Multiple therapy; Localized cancer; Gel crosslinking
• ISSN: 2093-5552; 2093-6214
• DOI: 10.1007/s40005-024-00678-7

Background Injectable hydrogels have attracted significant attention for localized cancer treatment due to their tuned viscoelasticity, self-healing ability, shear-thinning behavior, controlled drug release, direct drug delivery, and minimal invasiveness. Applying this injectable hydrogel to tumor tissues enables the precise controlled delivery of chemotherapeutics to exhibit strong anticancer effects with little systemic toxicity. Furthermore, combined with various therapeutic modalities, it can efficiently suppress tumor recurrence and metastasis. Area covered Herein, different types of hydrogels, such as natural, synthetic, and hybrid matrices, are reviewed for their important hydrogel properties. Moreover, all these hydrogels have further been classified into physical or chemical crosslinking methods. Chemotherapeutic drug-based cancer treatments and their combinations with other therapeutic modalities (i.e., chemodynamic, immune, radiation, photodynamic, photothermal, and sonodynamic therapies) for localized cancer have also been reviewed. Expert opinion Various materials have been used to fabricate hydrogel systems, and physical/chemical crosslinking methodologies have been applied to control hydrogel structures’ rheological properties and drug release profiles. These hydrogel formulations can be injected directly into easily accessible cancer types, which may reduce systemic toxicity and improve anticancer activity. Moreover, the longer bioretention of crosslinked hydrogels may result in a sustained drug release pattern, reducing dosing frequency and improving patient compliance. In order to maximize their anticancer potential, many therapeutic modalities can be introduced into hydrogel systems containing chemotherapeutics. These hydrogel systems can be conveniently applied to reduce the tumor size prior to surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) or prevent post-surgery recurrence (adjuvant therapy).