Injectable Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Local Cancer Therapy Publisher Pubmed



Norouzi M^{1, 2} ; Nazari B³ ; Miller DW^{1, 4}
Source: Drug Discovery Today Published:2016

Abstract

Common chemotherapy is often associated with adverse effects in normal cells and tissues. As an alternative approach, localized chemotherapy can diminish the toxicity of systemic chemotherapy while providing a sustained release of the chemotherapeutics at the target tumor site. Therefore, injectable biodegradable hydrogels as drug delivery systems for chemotherapeutics have become a matter of importance. Here, we review the application of a variety of injectable hydrogel-based drug delivery systems, including thermosensitive, pH-sensitive, photosensitive, dual-sensitive, as well as active targeting hydrogels, for the treatment of different types of cancer. Generally, injectable hydrogel-based drug delivery systems are found to be more efficacious than the conventional systemic chemotherapy in terms of cancer treatment. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd