Injectable and Temperature-Sensitive Titanium Carbide-Loaded Hydrogel System for Photothermal Therapy of Breast Cancer

Alginate-Chitosan Biodegradable and Biocompatible Based Hydrogel for Breast Cancer Immunotherapy and Diagnosis: A Comprehensive Review

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in females. There are many side effects due to chemotherapy and traditional surgery, like fatigue, loss of appetite, skin irritation, and drug resistance to cancer cells. Immunotherapy has become a hopeful approach toward cancer treatment, generating long-lasting immune responses in malignant tumor patients. Recently, hydrogel has received more attention toward cancer therapy due to its specific characteristics, such as decreased toxicity, fewer side effects, and better biocompatibility drug delivery to the particular tumor location. Researchers globally reported various investigations on hydrogel research for tumor diagnosis. The hydrogel-based multilayer platform with controlled nanostructure has received more attention for its antitumor effect. Chitosan and alginate play a leading role in the formation of the cross-link in a hydrogel. Also, they help in the stability of the hydrogel. This review discusses the properties, preparation, biocompatibility, and bioavailability of various research and clinical approaches of the multipolymer hydrogel made of alginate and chitosan for breast cancer treatment. With a focus on cases of breast cancer and the recovery rate, there is a need to find out the role of hydrogel in drug delivery for breast cancer treatment.

Bi2S3/Ti3C2-TPP nano-heterostructures induced by near-infrared for photodynamic therapy combined with photothermal therapy on hypoxic tumors

BACKGROUND

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy of bismuth sulfide (Bi2S3) semiconductor has been severely restricted by its electron-hole pairs (e--h+) separation inefficiency and oxygen (O2) deficiency in tumors, which greatly hinders reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and further clinical application of Bi2S3 nanoparticles (NPs) in biomedicine.

RESULTS

Herein, novel Bi2S3/titanium carbide (Ti3C2) two-dimensional nano-heterostructures (NHs) are designed to realize multimode PDT of synchronous O2 self-supply and ROS generation combined with highly efficient photothermal tumor elimination for hypoxic tumor therapy. Bi2S3/Ti3C2 NHs were synthesized via the in situ synthesis method starting from Ti3C2 nanosheets (NSs), a classical type of MXene nanostructure. Compared to simple Bi2S3 NPs, Bi2S3/Ti3C2 NHs significantly extend the absorption to the near-infrared (NIR) region and enhance the photocatalytic activity owing to the improved photogenerated carrier separation, where the hole on the valence band (VB) of Bi2S3 can react with water to supply O2 for the electron on the Ti3C2 NSs to generate ·O2- and ·OH through electron transfer. Furthermore, they also achieve 1O2 generation through energy transfer due to O2 self-supply. After the modification of triphenylphosphium bromide (TPP) on Bi2S3/Ti3C2 NHs, systematic in vitro and in vivo evaluations were conducted, revealing that the synergistic-therapeutic outcome of this nanoplatform enables complete eradication of the U251 tumors without recurrence by NIR laser irradiation, and it can be used for computed tomography (CT) imaging because of the strong X-ray attenuation ability.

CONCLUSION

This work expands the phototherapeutic effect of Bi2S3-based nanoplatforms, providing a new strategy for hypoxic tumor theranostics.

(Nano)platforms in breast cancer therapy: Drug/gene delivery, advanced nanocarriers and immunotherapy

Breast cancer is the most malignant tumor in women, and there is no absolute cure for it. Although treatment modalities including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are utilized for breast cancer, it is still a life-threatening disease for humans. Nanomedicine has provided a new opportunity in breast cancer treatment, which is the focus of the current study. The nanocarriers deliver chemotherapeutic agents and natural products, both of which increase cytotoxicity against breast tumor cells and prevent the development of drug resistance. The efficacy of gene therapy is boosted by nanoparticles and the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9, Noncoding RNAs, and RNAi, promoting their potential for gene expression regulation. The drug and gene codelivery by nanoparticles can exert a synergistic impact on breast tumors and enhance cellular uptake via endocytosis. Nanostructures are able to induce photothermal and photodynamic therapy for breast tumor ablation via cell death induction. The nanoparticles can provide tumor microenvironment remodeling and repolarization of macrophages for antitumor immunity. The stimuli-responsive nanocarriers, including pH-, redox-, and light-sensitive, can mediate targeted suppression of breast tumors. Besides, nanoparticles can provide a diagnosis of breast cancer and detect biomarkers. Various kinds of nanoparticles have been employed for breast cancer therapy, including carbon-, lipid-, polymeric- and metal-based nanostructures, which are different in terms of biocompatibility and delivery efficiency.

Injectable Poloxamer Hydrogels for Local Cancer Therapy

The widespread push to invest in local cancer therapies comes from the need to overcome the limitations of systemic treatment options. In contrast to intravenous administration, local treatments using intratumoral or peritumoral injections are independent of tumor vasculature and allow high concentrations of therapeutic agents to reach the tumor site with minimal systemic toxicity. Injectable biodegradable hydrogels offer a clear advantage over other delivery systems because the former requires no surgical procedures and promotes drug retention at the tumor site. More precisely, in situ gelling systems based on poloxamers have garnered considerable attention due to their thermoresponsive behavior, biocompatibility, ease of preparation, and possible incorporation of different anticancer agents. Therefore, this review focuses on the use of injectable thermoresponsive hydrogels based on poloxamers and their physicochemical and biological characterization. It also includes a summary of these hydrogel applications in local cancer therapies using chemotherapy, phototherapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy.

Recent Advances in Hydrogel-Based Phototherapy for Tumor Treatment

Phototherapeutic agent-based phototherapies activated by light have proven to be safe modalities for the treatment of various malignant tumor indications. The two main modalities of phototherapies include photothermal therapy, which causes localized thermal damage to target lesions, and photodynamic therapy, which causes localized chemical damage by generated reactive oxygen species (ROS). Conventional phototherapies suffer a major shortcoming in their clinical application due to their phototoxicity, which primarily arises from the uncontrolled distribution of phototherapeutic agents in vivo. For successful antitumor phototherapy, it is essential to ensure the generation of heat or ROS specifically occurs at the tumor site. To minimize the reverse side effects of phototherapy while improving its therapeutic performance, extensive research has focused on developing hydrogel-based phototherapy for tumor treatment. The utilization of hydrogels as drug carriers allows for the sustained delivery of phototherapeutic agents to tumor sites, thereby limiting their adverse effects. Herein, we summarize the recent advancements in the design of hydrogels for antitumor phototherapy, offer a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in hydrogel-based phototherapy and its combination with other therapeutic modalities for tumor treatment, and discuss the current clinical status of hydrogel-based antitumor phototherapy.

Polymer Gels: Classification and Recent Developments in Biomedical Applications

Polymer gels are a valuable class of polymeric materials that have recently attracted significant interest due to the exceptional properties such as versatility, soft-structure, flexibility and stimuli-responsive, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. Based on their properties, polymer gels can be used in a wide range of applications: food industry, agriculture, biomedical, and biosensors. The utilization of polymer gels in different medical and industrial applications requires a better understanding of the formation process, the factors which affect the gel's stability, and the structure-rheological properties relationship. The present review aims to give an overview of the polymer gels, the classification of polymer gels' materials to highlight their important features, and the recent development in biomedical applications. Several perspectives on future advancement of polymer hydrogel are offered.

Responsive Nanostructure for Targeted Drug Delivery

Currently, intelligent, responsive biomaterials have been widely explored, considering the fact that responsive biomaterials provide controlled and predictable results in various biomedical systems. Responsive nanostructures undergo reversible or irreversible changes in the presence of a stimulus, and that stimuli can be temperature, a magnetic field, ultrasound, pH, humidity, pressure, light, electric field, etc. Different types of stimuli being used in drug delivery shall be explained here. Recent research progress in the design, development and applications of biomaterials comprising responsive nanostructures is also described here. More emphasis will be given on the various nanostructures explored for the smart stimuli responsive drug delivery at the target site such as wound healing, cancer therapy, inflammation, and pain management in order to achieve the improved efficacy and sustainability with the lowest side effects. However, it is still a big challenge to develop well-defined responsive nanostructures with ordered output; thus, challenges faced during the design and development of these nanostructures shall also be included in this article. Clinical perspectives and applicability of the responsive nanostructures in the targeted drug delivery shall be discussed here.

Pluronic® triblock copolymer-based nanoformulations for cancer therapy: A 10-year overview

This paper provides a review of the literature on the use of Pluronic® triblock copolymers for drug encapsulation over the last 10 years. A special focus is given to the progress of drug delivery systems (e.g., micelles, liposomes, micro/nanoemulsions, hydrogels and nanogels, and polymersomes and niosomes); the beneficial aspects of Pluronic® triblock copolymers as biological response modifiers and as pharmaceutical additives, adjuvants, and stabilizers, are also discussed. The advantages and limitations encountered in developing site-specific targeting approaches based on Pluronic-based nanostructures in cancer treatment are highlighted, in addition to innovative examples for improving tumor cytotoxicity while reducing side effects.

Progress of Research in In Situ Smart Hydrogels for Local Antitumor Therapy: A Review

Cancer seriously threatens human health. Surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the three pillars of traditional cancer treatment, with targeted therapy and immunotherapy emerging over recent decades. Standard drug regimens are mostly executed via intravenous injection (IV), especially for chemotherapy agents. However, these treatments pose severe risks, including off-target toxic side effects, low drug accumulation and penetration at the tumor site, repeated administration, etc., leading to inadequate treatment and failure to meet patients’ needs. Arising from these challenges, a local regional anticancer strategy has been proposed to enhance therapeutic efficacy and concomitantly reduce systemic toxicity. With the advances in biomaterials and our understanding of the tumor microenvironment, in situ stimulus-responsive hydrogels, also called smart hydrogels, have been extensively investigated for local anticancer therapy due to their injectability, compatibility and responsiveness to various stimuli (pH, enzyme, heat, light, magnetic fields, electric fields etc.). Herein, we focus on the latest progress regarding various stimuli that cause phase transition and drug release from smart hydrogels in local regional anticancer therapy. Additionally, the challenges and future trends of the reviewed in situ smart hydrogels for local drug delivery are summarized and proposed.

Ultrasound-Triggered on Demand Lidocaine Release Relieves Postoperative Pain

Safe and non-invasive on-demand relief is a crucial and effective treatment for postoperative pain because it considers variable timing and intensity of anesthetics. Ultrasound modulation is a promising technique for this treatment because it allows convenient timed and non-invasive controlled drug release. Here, we created an ultrasound-triggered lidocaine (Lido) release platform using an amino acid hydrogel functioning as three-dimensional (3D) scaffold material (Lido-PPIX@ER hydrogel). It allows control of the timing, intensity and duration of lidocaine (Lido) to relieve postoperative pain. The hydrogel releases Lido due to the elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels generated by PPIX under ultrasound triggering. The Lido-PPIX@ER hydrogel under individualized ultrasound triggering released lidocaine and provided effective analgesia for more than 72 h. The withdrawal threshold was higher than that in the control group at all time points measured. The hydrogel showed repeatable and adjustable ultrasound-triggered nerve blocks in vivo, the duration of which depended on the extent and intensity of insonation. On histopathology, no systemic effect or tissue reaction was observed in the ultrasound-triggered Lido-PPIX@ER hydrogel-treated group. The Lido-PPIX@ER hydrogel with individualized (highly variable) ultrasound triggering is a convenient and effective method that offers timed and spatiotemporally controlled Lido release to manage postoperative pain. This article presents the delivery system for a new effective strategy to reduce pain, remotely control pain, and offer timed and spatiotemporally controlled release of Lido to manage postoperative pain.