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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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Liu WS, Chen Z, Lu ZM, Dong JH, Wu JH, Gao J, Deng D, Li M. Multifunctional hydrogels based on photothermal therapy: A prospective platform for the postoperative management of melanoma. J Control Release 2024; 371:406-428. [PMID: 38849093 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2024.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 06/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Preventing the recurrence of melanoma after surgery and accelerating wound healing are among the most challenging aspects of melanoma management. Photothermal therapy has been widely used to treat tumors and bacterial infections and promote wound healing. Owing to its efficacy and specificity, it may be used for postoperative management of tumors. However, its use is limited by the uncontrollable distribution of photosensitizers and the likelihood of damage to the surrounding normal tissue. Hydrogels provide a moist environment with strong biocompatibility and adhesion for wound healing owing to their highly hydrophilic three-dimensional network structure. In addition, these materials serve as excellent drug carriers for tumor treatment and wound healing. It is possible to combine the advantages of both of these agents through different loading modalities to provide a powerful platform for the prevention of tumor recurrence and wound healing. This review summarizes the design strategies, research progress and mechanism of action of hydrogels used in photothermal therapy and discusses their role in preventing tumor recurrence and accelerating wound healing. These findings provide valuable insights into the postoperative management of melanoma and may guide the development of promising multifunctional hydrogels for photothermal therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Shang Liu
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China
| | - Zheng-Mao Lu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin-Hua Dong
- Women and Children Hospital Affiliated to Jiaxing University, 2468 Middle Ring Eastern Road, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang 314000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jin-Hui Wu
- Ophthalmology Department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 201805, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jie Gao
- Changhai Clinical Research Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Nautical Medicine and Translation of Drugs and Medical Devices, Shanghai 200433, People's Republic of China.
| | - Dan Deng
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China.
| | - Meng Li
- Department of Dermatology, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200127, People's Republic of China.
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Li M, Shi J, Zhang Y, Cui S, Zhang L, Shen Q. ECL cytosensor for sensitive and label-free detection of circulating tumor cells based on hierarchical flower-like gold microstructures. Anal Chim Acta 2024; 1303:342505. [PMID: 38609273 DOI: 10.1016/j.aca.2024.342505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
The development of sensitive and efficient cell sensing strategies to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood is crucial for the early diagnosis and prognostic assessment of cancer clinical treatment. Herein, an array of hierarchical flower-like gold microstructures (HFGMs) with anisotropic nanotips was synthesized by a simple electrodeposition method and used as a capture substrate to construct an ECL cytosensor based on the specific recognition of target cells by aptamers. The complex topography of the HFGMs array not only catalyzed the enhancement of ECL signals, but also induced the cells to generate more filopodia, improving the capture efficiency and shortening the capture time. The effect of topographic roughness on cell growth and adhesion propensity was also investigated, while the cell capture efficiency was proposed to be an important indicator affecting the accuracy of the ECL cytosensor. In addition, the capture of cells on the electrode surface increased the steric hindrance, which caused ECL signal changes in the Ru(bpy)32+ and TPrA system, realizing the quantitative detection of MCF-7 cells. The detection range of the sensor was from 102 to 106 cells mL-1 and the detection limit was 18 cells mL-1. The proposed detection method avoids the process of separation, labeling and counting, which has great potential for sensitive detection in clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meixing Li
- State Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Jiawei Shi
- State Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yuhang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Shuaihui Cui
- State Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Lei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Qingming Shen
- State Key Laboratory for Organic Electronics and Information Displays & Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biosensors, Institute of Advanced Materials (IAM), Nanjing University of Posts & Telecommunications, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Luo Z, He Y, Li M, Ge Y, Huang Y, Liu X, Hou J, Zhou S. Tumor Microenvironment-Inspired Glutathione-Responsive Three-Dimensional Fibrous Network for Efficient Trapping and Gentle Release of Circulating Tumor Cells. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:24013-24022. [PMID: 37178127 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c00307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is important for early cancer diagnosis, prediction of postoperative recurrence, and individualized treatment. However, it is still challenging to achieve efficient capture and gentle release of CTCs from the complex peripheral blood due to their rarity and fragility. Herein, inspired by the three-dimensional (3D) network structure and high glutathione (GSH) level of the tumor microenvironment (TME), a 3D stereo (3D-G@FTP) fibrous network is developed by combining the liquid-assisted electrospinning method, gas foaming technique, and metal-polyphenol coordination interactions to achieve efficient trapping and gentle release of CTCs. Compared with the traditional 2D@FTP fibrous scaffold, the 3D-G@FTP fibrous network could achieve higher capture efficiency (90.4% vs 78.5%) toward cancer cells in a shorter time (30 min vs 90 min). This platform showed superior capture performance toward heterogeneous cancer cells (HepG2, HCT116, HeLa, and A549) in an epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-independent manner. In addition, the captured cells with high cell viability (>90.0%) could be gently released under biologically friendly GSH stimulus. More importantly, the 3D-G@FTP fibrous network could sensitively detect 4-19 CTCs from six kinds of cancer patients' blood samples. We expect this TME-inspired 3D stereo fibrous network integrating efficient trapping, broad-spectrum recognition, and gentle release will promote the development of biomimetic devices for rare cell analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhouying Luo
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Yang He
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Ming Li
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Yumeng Ge
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Yisha Huang
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
- Key Laboratory of Advanced Technologies of Materials, Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Xia Liu
- School of Chemistry, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Jianwen Hou
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
| | - Shaobing Zhou
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, P. R. China
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Liao W, Duan X, Xie F, Zheng D, Yang P, Wang X, Hu Z. 3D-bioprinted double-crosslinked angiogenic alginate/chondroitin sulfate patch for diabetic wound healing. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 236:123952. [PMID: 36894059 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.123952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Improving chronic wound healing remains a challenge in the clinical practice. In this study, we developed double-crosslinked angiogenic 3D-bioprinted patches for diabetic wound healing by the photocovalent crosslinking of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. 3D printing technology can precisely customize the structure and composition of patches to meet different clinical requirements. The biological polysaccharide alginate and chondroitin sulfate methacryloyl were used as biomaterials to construct the biological patch, which could be crosslinked using calcium ion crosslinking and photocrosslinking, thereby improving its mechanical properties. More importantly, acrylylated VEGF could be easily and rapidly photocrosslinked under UV irradiation, which simplified the step of chemically coupling growth factors and prolonged VEGF release time. These characteristics suggest that 3D-bioprinted double-crosslinked angiogenic patches are ideal candidates for diabetic wound healing and other tissue engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weifang Liao
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, China; Jiujiang Clinical Precision Medicine Research Center, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China; Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Xunxin Duan
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, China; Jiujiang Clinical Precision Medicine Research Center, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China; Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Fusheng Xie
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, China; Jiujiang Clinical Precision Medicine Research Center, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China; Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Dongxi Zheng
- School of Mechanical and Intelligent Manufacturing, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China
| | - Pu Yang
- Department of Plastic and Aesthetic (Burn) Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Xiangguo Wang
- Animal Science and Technology College, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing, China.
| | - Zhijian Hu
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Affiliated Hospital of Jiujiang University, China; Jiujiang Clinical Precision Medicine Research Center, Jiujiang, Jiangxi, China; Jiangxi Provincial Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China.
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