Enhanced Postsurgical Cancer Treatment Using Methacrylated Glycol Chitosan Hydrogel for Sustained DNA/Doxorubicin Delivery and Immunotherapy

• Published in: Biomaterials research Vol. 28; pp. 0008 - 137
• Main Authors: Seo, Hee Seung, Han, Jun-Hyeok, Lim, Jaesung, Bae, Ga-Hyun, Byun, Min Ji, Wang, Chi-Pin James, Han, Jieun, Park, Juwon, Park, Hee Ho, Shin, Mikyung, Park, Tae-Eun, Kim, Tae-Hyung, Kim, Se-Na, Park, Wooram, Park, Chun Gwon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States AAAS 2024; 한국생체재료학회
• Subjects: 의공학
• ISSN: 2055-7124; 1226-4601; 2055-7124
• DOI: 10.34133/bmr.0008

Background: Cancer recurrence and metastasis are major contributors to treatment failure following tumor resection surgery. We developed a novel implantable drug delivery system utilizing glycol chitosan to address these issues. Glycol chitosan is a natural adjuvant, inducing dendritic cell activation to promote T helper 1 cell immune responses, macrophage activation, and cytokine production. Effective antigen production by dendritic cells initiates T-cell-mediated immune responses, aiding tumor growth control. Methods: In this study, we fabricated multifunctional methacrylated glycol chitosan (MGC) hydrogels with extended release of DNA/doxorubicin (DOX) complex for cancer immunotherapy. We constructed the resection model of breast cancer to verify the anticancer effects of MGC hydrogel with DNA/DOX complex. Results: This study demonstrated the potential of MGC hydrogel with extended release of DNA/DOX complex for local and efficient cancer therapy. The MGC hydrogel was implanted directly into the surgical site after tumor resection, activating tumor-related immune cells both locally and over a prolonged period of time through immune-reactive molecules. Conclusions: The MGC hydrogel effectively suppressed tumor recurrence and metastasis while enhancing immunotherapeutic efficacy and minimizing side effects. This biomaterial-based drug delivery system, combined with cancer immunotherapy, can substantial improve treatment outcomes and patient prognosis.