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Solanki R, Bhatia D. Stimulus-Responsive Hydrogels for Targeted Cancer Therapy. Gels 2024; 10:440. [PMID: 39057463 PMCID: PMC11275390 DOI: 10.3390/gels10070440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 06/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease and remains a global health challenge affecting millions of human lives worldwide. Despite advancements in conventional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy, the rise of multidrug resistance, tumor recurrence, and their severe side effects and the complex nature of the tumor microenvironment (TME) necessitates innovative therapeutic approaches. Recently, stimulus-responsive nanomedicines designed to target TME characteristics (e.g., pH alterations, redox conditions, enzyme secretion) have gained attention for their potential to enhance anticancer efficacy while minimizing the adverse effects of chemotherapeutics/bioactive compounds. Among the various nanocarriers, hydrogels are intriguing due to their high-water content, adjustable mechanical characteristics, and responsiveness to external and internal stimuli, making them promising candidates for cancer therapy. These properties make hydrogels an ideal nanocarrier for controlled drug release within the TME. This review comprehensively surveys the latest advancements in the area of stimulus-responsive hydrogels for cancer therapy, exploring various stimuli-responsive mechanisms, including biological (e.g., pH, redox), chemical (e.g., enzymes, glucose), and physical (e.g., temperature, light), as well as dual- or multi-stimuli responsiveness. Furthermore, this review addresses the current developments and challenges in hydrogels in cancer treatment. Our aim is to provide readers with a comprehensive understanding of stimulus-responsive hydrogels for cancer treatment, offering novel perspectives on their development for cancer therapy and other medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raghu Solanki
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj 382355, Gujarat, India
| | - Dhiraj Bhatia
- Department of Biological Sciences and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Palaj 382355, Gujarat, India
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2
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Baretta R, Frasconi M. Electrically Powered Dissipative Hydrogel Networks Reveal Transient Stiffness Properties for Out-of-Equilibrium Operations. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:7408-7418. [PMID: 38440849 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Living systems use dissipative processes to enable precise spatiotemporal control over various functions, including the transient modulation of the stiffness of tissues, which, however, is challenging to achieve in soft materials. Here, we report a new platform to program hydrogel films with tunable, time-dependent mechanical properties under out-of-equilibrium conditions, powered by electricity. We show that the lifetime of the transient network of a surface-confined hydrogel film can be effectively controlled by programming the generation of an electrochemically oxidized mediator in the presence of a chemical or photoreducing agent in solution. It is, therefore, electrically possible to direct the transient stiffening or softening of the hydrogel film, enabling high modularity of the material functions with precise spatiotemporal control. Temporally controlled operations of the hydrogel films are demonstrated for the on-demand, dose-controlled release of multiple model protein payloads from electrode arrays using the present electrically powered dissipative system. This demonstration of electrically driven transient modulation of the stiffness properties of hydrogel films represents an important step toward the engineering of dissipative materials for developing future biomedical applications that can harness the temporal, adaptive properties of this new class of materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Baretta
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Frasconi
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
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3
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Hashemi A, Ezati M, Nasr MP, Zumberg I, Provaznik V. Extracellular Vesicles and Hydrogels: An Innovative Approach to Tissue Regeneration. ACS OMEGA 2024; 9:6184-6218. [PMID: 38371801 PMCID: PMC10870307 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c08280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicles have emerged as promising tools in regenerative medicine due to their inherent ability to facilitate intercellular communication and modulate cellular functions. These nanosized vesicles transport bioactive molecules, such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, which can affect the behavior of recipient cells and promote tissue regeneration. However, the therapeutic application of these vesicles is frequently constrained by their rapid clearance from the body and inability to maintain a sustained presence at the injury site. In order to overcome these obstacles, hydrogels have been used as extracellular vesicle delivery vehicles, providing a localized and controlled release system that improves their therapeutic efficacy. This Review will examine the role of extracellular vesicle-loaded hydrogels in tissue regeneration, discussing potential applications, current challenges, and future directions. We will investigate the origins, composition, and characterization techniques of extracellular vesicles, focusing on recent advances in exosome profiling and the role of machine learning in this field. In addition, we will investigate the properties of hydrogels that make them ideal extracellular vesicle carriers. Recent studies utilizing this combination for tissue regeneration will be highlighted, providing a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape and potential future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Hashemi
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3082/12, 61600 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Masoumeh Ezati
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3082/12, 61600 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Minoo Partovi Nasr
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3082/12, 61600 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Inna Zumberg
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3082/12, 61600 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Valentine Provaznik
- Department
of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication, Brno University of Technology, Technicka 3082/12, 61600 Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Li Q, Tang B, Liu X, Chen B, Wang X, Xiao H, Zheng Z. Overcoming the Dilemma of In Vivo Stable Adhesion and Sustained Degradation by the Molecular Design of Polyurethane Adhesives for Bone Fracture Repair. Adv Healthc Mater 2024; 13:e2301870. [PMID: 38145973 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202301870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Bone adhesive is a promising candidate to revolutionize the clinical treatment of bone repairs. However, several drawbacks have limited its further clinical application, such as unreliable wet adhesive performance leading to fixation failure and poor biodegradability inhibiting bone tissue growth. By incorporating catechol groups and disulfide bonds into polyurethane (PU) molecules, an injectable and porous PU adhesive is developed with both superior wet adhesion and biodegradability to facilitate the reduction and fixation of comminuted fractures and the subsequent regeneration of bone tissue. The bone adhesive can be cured within a reasonable time acceptable to a surgeon, and then the wet bone adhesive strength is near 1.30 MPa in 1 h. Finally, the wet adhesive strength to the cortical bone will achieve about 1.70 MPa, which is also five times more than nonresorbable poly(methyl methacrylate) bone cement. Besides, the cell culture experiments also indicate that the adhesives show excellent biocompatibility and osteogenic ability in vitro. Especially, it can degrade in vivo gradually and promote fracture healing in the rabbit iliac fracture model. These results demonstrate that this ingenious bone adhesive exhibits great potential in the treatment of comminuted fractures, providing fresh insights into the development of clinically applicable bone adhesives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Li
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Bo Tang
- Department of Orthopedics, Central Hospital of Fengxian District, Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, 201400, China
- The Third Clinical Medical College of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Xinchang Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Buyun Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Xinling Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Haijun Xiao
- Department of Orthopedics, Central Hospital of Fengxian District, Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai, Shanghai, 201400, China
- The Third Clinical Medical College of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510630, China
| | - Zhen Zheng
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
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Yang W, Wang J, Jia L, Li J, Liu S. Stereo-Complex and Click-Chemical Bicrosslinked Amphiphilic Network Gels with Temperature/pH Response. Gels 2023; 9:647. [PMID: 37623102 PMCID: PMC10454454 DOI: 10.3390/gels9080647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stimulus-responsive hydrogels have been widely used in the field of drug delivery because of their three-dimensional pore size and the ability to change the drug release rate with the change in external environment. In this paper, the temperature-sensitive monomer 2-methyl-2-acrylate-2-(2-methoxyethoxy-ethyl) ethyl ester (MEO2MA) and oligoethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (OEGMA) as well as the pH-sensitive monomer N,N-Diethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) were used to make the gel with temperature and pH response. Four kinds of physicochemical double-crosslinked amphiphilic co-network gels with different polymerization degrees were prepared by the one-pot method using the stereocomplex between polylactic acid as physical crosslinking and click chemistry as chemical crosslinking. By testing morphology, swelling, thermal stability and mechanical properties, the properties of the four hydrogels were compared. Finally, the drug release rate of the four gels was tested by UV-Vis spectrophotometer. It was found that the synthetic hydrogels had a good drug release rate and targeting, and had great application prospect in drug delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Shouxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Applied Surface and Colloid Chemistry, Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China; (W.Y.); (J.W.); (L.J.); (J.L.)
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Quadrado RF, Macagnan KL, Moreira AS, Fajardo AR. Redox-responsive hydrogels of thiolated pectin as vehicles for the smart release of acetaminophen. REACT FUNCT POLYM 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2022.105448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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Yuan Z, Ding J, Zhang Y, Huang B, Song Z, Meng X, Ma X, Gong X, Huang Z, Ma S, Xiang S, Xu W. Components, mechanisms and applications of stimuli-responsive polymer gels. Eur Polym J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2022.111473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Ho TC, Chang CC, Chan HP, Chung TW, Shu CW, Chuang KP, Duh TH, Yang MH, Tyan YC. Hydrogels: Properties and Applications in Biomedicine. Molecules 2022; 27:2902. [PMID: 35566251 PMCID: PMC9104731 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27092902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 150] [Impact Index Per Article: 75.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Hydrogels are crosslinked polymer chains with three-dimensional (3D) network structures, which can absorb relatively large amounts of fluid. Because of the high water content, soft structure, and porosity of hydrogels, they closely resemble living tissues. Research in recent years shows that hydrogels have been applied in various fields, such as agriculture, biomaterials, the food industry, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Along with the underlying technology improvements of hydrogel development, hydrogels can be expected to be applied in more fields. Although not all hydrogels have good biodegradability and biocompatibility, such as synthetic hydrogels (polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol hydrogels, etc.), their biodegradability and biocompatibility can be adjusted by modification of their functional group or incorporation of natural polymers. Hence, scientists are still interested in the biomedical applications of hydrogels due to their creative adjustability for different uses. In this review, we first introduce the basic information of hydrogels, such as structure, classification, and synthesis. Then, we further describe the recent applications of hydrogels in 3D cell cultures, drug delivery, wound dressing, and tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tzu-Chuan Ho
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (T.-C.H.); (C.-W.S.)
| | - Chin-Chuan Chang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung 840, Taiwan
| | - Hung-Pin Chan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan;
| | - Tze-Wen Chung
- Biomedical Engineering Research and Development Center, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei 112, Taiwan;
| | - Chih-Wen Shu
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (T.-C.H.); (C.-W.S.)
| | - Kuo-Pin Chuang
- Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan;
| | - Tsai-Hui Duh
- Department of Medicinal and Applied Chemistry, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
| | - Ming-Hui Yang
- Department of Medical Education and Research, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung 813, Taiwan
- Center of General Education, Shu-Zen Junior College of Medicine and Management, Kaohsiung 821, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chang Tyan
- Department of Medical Imaging and Radiological Sciences, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan; (T.-C.H.); (C.-W.S.)
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan;
- School of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Animal Vaccine Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung 912, Taiwan;
- Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Department of Medical Research, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
- Center for Cancer Research, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
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Jiao C, Obst F, Geisler M, Che Y, Richter A, Appelhans D, Gaitzsch J, Voit B. Reversible Protein Capture and Release by Redox-Responsive Hydrogel in Microfluidics. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:267. [PMID: 35054674 PMCID: PMC8780672 DOI: 10.3390/polym14020267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive hydrogels have a wide range of potential applications in microfluidics, which has drawn great attention. Double cross-linked hydrogels are very well suited for this application as they offer both stability and the required responsive behavior. Here, we report the integration of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNiPAAm) hydrogel with a permanent cross-linker (N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, BIS) and a redox responsive reversible cross-linker (N,N'-bis(acryloyl)cystamine, BAC) into a microfluidic device through photopolymerization. Cleavage and re-formation of disulfide bonds introduced by BAC changed the cross-linking densities of the hydrogel dots, making them swell or shrink. Rheological measurements allowed for selecting hydrogels that withstand long-term shear forces present in microfluidic devices under continuous flow. Once implemented, the thiol-disulfide exchange allowed the hydrogel dots to successfully capture and release the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). BSA was labeled with rhodamine B and functionalized with 2-(2-pyridyldithio)-ethylamine (PDA) to introduce disulfide bonds. The reversible capture and release of the protein reached an efficiency of 83.6% in release rate and could be repeated over 3 cycles within the microfluidic device. These results demonstrate that our redox-responsive hydrogel dots enable the dynamic capture and release of various different functionalized (macro)molecules (e.g., proteins and drugs) and have a great potential to be integrated into a lab-on-a-chip device for detection and/or delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Jiao
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (C.J.); (M.G.); (Y.C.); (D.A.)
- Organische Chemie der Polymere, Technische Universität Dresden, Mommsenstraße 4, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Franziska Obst
- Institut für Halbleiter- und Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Dresden, Nöthnitzer Straße 64, 01187 Dresden, Germany; (F.O.); (A.R.)
| | - Martin Geisler
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (C.J.); (M.G.); (Y.C.); (D.A.)
| | - Yunjiao Che
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (C.J.); (M.G.); (Y.C.); (D.A.)
| | - Andreas Richter
- Institut für Halbleiter- und Mikrosystemtechnik, Technische Universität Dresden, Nöthnitzer Straße 64, 01187 Dresden, Germany; (F.O.); (A.R.)
| | - Dietmar Appelhans
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (C.J.); (M.G.); (Y.C.); (D.A.)
| | - Jens Gaitzsch
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (C.J.); (M.G.); (Y.C.); (D.A.)
| | - Brigitte Voit
- Leibniz-Institut für Polymerforschung Dresden e.V., Hohe Straße 6, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (C.J.); (M.G.); (Y.C.); (D.A.)
- Organische Chemie der Polymere, Technische Universität Dresden, Mommsenstraße 4, 01062 Dresden, Germany
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