Intestine Enzyme-responsive Polysaccharide-based Hydrogel to Open Epithelial Tight Junctions for Oral Delivery of Imatinib against Colon Cancer

Oral natural material hydrogels: a new strategy for enhancing oral drug delivery efficiency

Oral administration, owing to its high patient compliance and favorable controllability, is widely employed in clinical settings; however, the efficacy is often constrained by the gastrointestinal environment's impact on bioavailability. As the demand for biocompatibility and biodegradability in biomedical applications intensifies, natural hydrogel-based oral drug delivery systems have gained substantial attention as promising carriers. In this study, we introduce a variety of natural materials, revealing their advantages in enhancing drug bioavailability and targeting capabilities. Through both physical and chemical crosslinking mechanisms, we successfully demonstrate hydrogels exhibiting excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Furthermore, we analyze the potential applications of diverse natural oral hydrogels across fields such as gastrointestinal, metabolic, oncological, and immunotherapeutic diseases. By synthesizing recent advances in this area, we aim to elucidate the critical role these systems can play in biomedicine. Our findings suggest that natural materials possess broad prospects in drug delivery, advocating for continued exploration of their clinical application to facilitate the development and optimization of novel oral therapeutic modalities. This work provides a vital theoretical foundation and practical guidance for future innovations in drug delivery technologies.

Targeted and intelligent nano-drug delivery systems for colorectal cancer treatment

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a highly heterogeneous malignancy with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite advancements in surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy, treatment efficacy is often hampered by drug resistance and systemic toxicity. In recent years, nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) have emerged as a promising strategy to enhance therapeutic precision, reduce adverse effects, and overcome resistance in CRC treatment. This review discusses the recent advancements in NDDS for CRC treatment, focusing on the optimization of oral drug delivery systems, the development of tumor-specific targeting strategies, and the design of intelligent delivery systems responsive to the tumor microenvironment (TME). Furthermore, we summarize current challenges in NDDS translation and explore future research directions for enhancing their clinical feasibility and therapeutic impact.

Exploring the wonders of polysaccharides in porous materials

Porous materials are a class of materials with abundant micro-nano pore structures, low density, light weight, and large specific surface area, and they have been widely used in various fields. Polysaccharides have the characteristics of designability, adjustability, biodegradability and safety and have been widely and deeply studied by researchers working on porous materials. Based on previous studies and in combination with our own research, this review describes the basic concepts and types of polysaccharide-based porous materials (including aerogels, sponges, foams, porous carbons and hydrogels), summarizes their preparation methods, and offers an in-depth analysis and discussion of their applications in medicine, food, environment and other applications. Finally, the current challenges and future prospects of polysaccharides-based porous materials are summarized. This review aims to systematically analyze and summarize the application value of polysaccharide-based porous materials and provide theoretical guidance for their further research.

Nanotechnology in Imatinib delivery: advancing cancer treatment through innovative nanoparticles

Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems have improved target medicines' therapeutic efficacy and specificity in cancer therapy. Imatinib, one of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors widely used for treating chronic myeloid leukemia and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST), faces many drawbacks, such as poor solubility, reduced bioavailability, and the development of resistance. The paper critically reviews advances in nanotechnology-based approaches toward the delivery of Imatinib, relating to polymeric, lipid-based, carbon-based, and stimuli-responsive nanoparticles. These methods enhance solubility, stability, and targeted distribution and are often used to facilitate the co-delivery of other anticancer drugs with considerable problems in cancer treatment. Although much potential for these technologies exists, scalability, safety, and regulatory approval, among other features, need resolution before real cost can meet clinical efficacy. Further directions would go toward bio-inspired system development, enhancing regulatory frameworks, and cost-effective manufacturing processes that bring nanotechnology into the realm of standard treatment for cancer.

Core-shell gelatin-chitosan nanoparticles with lysozyme responsiveness formed via pH-drive and transglutaminase cross-linking

Lysozyme-responsive nanoparticles were fabricated using a hydrophilic protein (gelatin type A) as the core and a hydrophobic polysaccharide (chitosan) as the shell. In this study, curcumin was used as a model molecule for encapsulation and promoted the aggregation of gelatin nanoparticles. Transglutaminase catalyzed both intra-molecular cross-linking within gelatin and inter-molecular cross-linking between gelatin and chitosan. The formation mechanism of gelatin nanoparticles was investigated by molecular docking simulations, circular dichroism spectroscopy, UV-vis spectroscopy, turbidity analysis, and dynamic light scattering. Results indicated that pH-driven processes can induce molecular conformational changes of gelatin. However, these alone are insufficient to induce nanoparticle formation. Hydrogen bonding, Pi-alkyl interactions, Pi-Pi interactions, and van der Waals forces between gelatin and curcumin are crucial for the core formation. The coating mechanism of chitosan involved covalent bonds catalyzed by transglutaminase and electrostatic interactions, verified by dynamic light scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Physicochemical properties characterization revealed that the core-shell nanoparticles exhibited a maximum encapsulation efficiency of 97.2 ± 0.3 % and an average particle size of 120 ± 21 nm. The core-shell nanoparticles exhibited high thermal and pH stability, with curcumin retention rates exceeding 80 % under acidic, neutral, and weakly alkaline conditions, and detained thermal degradation up to 90 °C. Additionally, lysozyme responsiveness was evaluated by controlled curcumin release with varying lysozyme concentrations, through which enzymatic hydrolysis of chitosan by lysozyme triggered an increased release rate. In summary, core-shell nanoparticles synthesized from gelatin and chitosan may be effective target delivery systems for curcumin.

Recent development of micro-nano carriers for oral antineoplastic drug delivery

Chemotherapy is widely recognized as a highly efficacious modality for cancer treatment, involving the administration of chemotherapeutic agents to target and eradicate tumor cells. Currently, oral administration stands as the prevailing and widely utilized method of delivering chemotherapy drugs. However, the majority of anti-tumor medications exhibit limited solubility and permeability, and poor stability in harsh gastrointestinal environments, thereby impeding their therapeutic efficacy for chemotherapy. Therefore, more and more micro-nano drug delivery carriers have been developed and used to effectively deliver anti-cancer drugs, which can overcome physiological barriers, facilitate oral administration, and ultimately improve drug efficacy. In this paper, we first discuss the effects of various biological barriers on micro-nano drug carriers and oral administration approach. Then, the development of micro-nano drug carriers based on various biomedical components, such as micelles, dendrimers, hydrogels, liposomes, inorganic nanoparticles, etc. were introduced. Finally, the current dilemma and the potential of oral drug delivery for clinical treatment were discussed. The primary objective of this review is to introduce various oral delivery methods and serve as a point of reference for the advancement of novel oral delivery carriers, with the ultimate goal of informing the development of future clinical applications.

Synergistic Combination of Oral Transcytotic Nanomedicine and Histone Demethylase Inhibitor for Enhanced Cancer Chemoimmunotherapy

Oral nanomedicines present a preferable avenue for cancer immunotherapy, but their efficacy is limited by gastrointestinal absorption challenges, tumor physiopathologic barriers, and immune evasion mechanisms. Here, we present an approach that combines an oral transcytotic doxorubicin (DOX) nanomedicine with the histone demethylase inhibitor 5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (IOX1), thereby enabling synergistic chemoimmunotherapy. We demonstrate that IOX1 significantly augments the transcytosis capabilities of DOX-loaded poly(2-(N-oxide-N,N-diethylamino)ethylmethacrylate)-poly(ε-caprolactone) micelles (OPDOX), promoting their transcellular transport across various cellular barriers (villus, endothelial, and tumor cells), thus improving oral adsorption, vascular extravasation, and tumor penetration. Furthermore, IOX1 sensitizes chemotherapy to potentiate DOX-induced immunogenic cell death and downregulates programmed cell death-ligand 1 to disrupt the immune checkpoint mechanism, synergistically boosting robust antitumor immune responses. Consequently, orally administered OPDOX in combination with IOX1 efficiently inhibits CT26 tumor growth, highlighting the significant potential for enhancing the efficacy of oral nanomedicines in cancer chemoimmunotherapy.

Ultrasound-Responsive Hydrogel Incorporated with TGF-β Mimetic Peptides for Endometrium Recovery to Restore Fertility

Unavoidable damage to the basal layer of the endometrium has a huge negative impact on a woman's reproductive health and menstrual cycle. However, it is difficult for medicine to penetrate a series of biological barriers toward the basal layer in the deeper area of the endometrium. To meet this challenge, we developed an ultrasound-responsive hydrogel incorporated with a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) mimetic peptide to enhance pregnancy outcomes by restoring the function of a wounded endometrium due to its deep-tissue-penetration capability. In vitro studies revealed that the TGF-β-mimetic-peptide-loaded hydrogel could achieve 64.35% of cell migration under ultrasound stimulation even in phosphate-buffered saline of pH 6.0. Upon in situ sonication at the uterus, carboxymethyl chitosan can be released from degraded hydrogel to open tight junctions with reduced interstitial pressure by ultrasound to promote deep penetration. Rat studies revealed that the penetration capability of TGF-β-mimetic-peptide-loaded hydrogel with sonication was 1.6 times higher than that of the control group. Besides the rat uterine model, ex vivo human uterine tissue was also collected and imaged, demonstrating up to ∼700 μm of tissue penetration depth. In addition, compared to control groups, effective uterus recovery without intrauterine stenosis and endometrial cavity fluid was observed from rats with severe uterine injury treated by TGF-β-mimetic-peptide-loaded hydrogel. In addition, fertility restoration in the endometrial injury model was observed after treatment with such an ultrasound-responsive hydrogel incorporated with TGF-β mimetic peptides. Overall, this work provides an effective approach to treating endometrial injury for enhanced pregnancy outcomes.

Advances in Chitosan-Based Smart Hydrogels for Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Despite advancements in early detection and treatment in developed countries, colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common malignancy and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Conventional chemotherapy, a key option for CRC treatment, has several drawbacks, including poor selectivity and the development of multiple drug resistance, which often lead to severe side effects. In recent years, the use of polysaccharides as drug delivery systems (DDSs) to enhance drug efficacy has gained significant attention. Among these polysaccharides, chitosan (CS), a linear, mucoadhesive polymer, has shown promise in cancer treatment. This review summarizes current research on the potential applications of CS-based hydrogels as DDSs for CRC treatment, with a particular focus on smart hydrogels. These smart CS-based hydrogel systems are categorized into two main types: stimuli-responsive injectable hydrogels that undergo sol-gel transitions in situ, and single-, dual-, and multi-stimuli-responsive CS-based hydrogels capable of releasing drugs in response to various triggers. The review also discusses the structural characteristics of CS, the methods for preparing CS-based hydrogels, and recent scientific advances in smart CS-based hydrogels for CRC treatment.

Matrix metalloproteinase-responsive hydrogels with tunable retention for on-demand therapy of inflammatory bowel disease

Therapeutic options for addressing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) include the administration of an enema to reduce intestinal inflammation and alleviate associated symptoms. However, uncontrollable retention of enemas in the intestinal tract has posed a long-term challenge for improving their therapeutic efficacy and safety. Herein we have developed a protease-labile hydrogel system as an on-demand enema vehicle with tunable degradation and drug release rates in response to varying matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression. The system, composed of three tailored hydrogel networks, is crosslinked by poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) with 2-, 4- and 8-arms through dynamic hydrazone bonds to confer injectability and generate varying network connectivity. The retention time of the hydrogels can be tuned from 12 to 36 h in the intestine due to their different degradation behaviors induced by MMP-9. The drug-releasing rate of the hydrogels can be controlled from 0.0003 mg/h to 0.278 mg/h. In addition, injection of such hydrogels in vivo resulted in significant differences in therapeutic effects including MMP-9 consumption, colon tissue repair, reduced collagen deposition, and decreased macrophage cells, for treating a mouse model of acute colitis. Among them, GP-8/5-ASA exhibits the best performance. This study validates the effectiveness of the tailored design of hydrogel architecture in response to pathological microenvironment cues, representing a promising strategy for on-demand therapy of IBD. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The uncontrollable retention of enemas at the delivery site poses a long-term challenge for improving therapeutic efficacy in IBD patients. MMP-9 is highly expressed in IBD and correlates with disease severity. Therefore, an MMP-9-responsive GP hydrogel system was developed as an enema by linking multi-armed PEG and gelatin through hydrazone bonds. This forms a dynamic hydrogel characterized by in situ gelation, injectability, enhanced bio-adhesion, biocompatibility, controlled retention time, and regulated drug release. GP hydrogels encapsulating 5-ASA significantly improved the intestinal phenotype of acute IBD and demonstrated notable therapeutic differences with increasing PEG arms. This method represents a promising on-demand IBD therapy strategy and provides insights into treating diseases of varying severities using endogenous stimulus-responsive drug delivery systems.

Lyophilized Platelet-Rich Fibrin Exudate-Loaded Carboxymethyl Chitosan/GelMA Hydrogel for Efficient Bone Defect Repair

Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) is an autologous growth factor carrier that promotes bone tissue regeneration, but its effectiveness is restrained by poor storage capabilities, uncontrollable concentration of growth factors, unstable shape, etc. Herein, we developed a photocrosslinkable composite hydrogel by incorporating lyophilized PRF exudate (LPRFe) into the carboxymethyl chitosan methacryloyl (CMCSMA)/gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogel to effectively solve the dilemma of PRF. The hydrogel possessed suitable physical properties and sustainable release ability of growth factors in LPRFe. The LPRFe-loaded hydrogel could improve the adhesion, proliferation, migration, and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Furthermore, the animal experiments demonstrated that the hydrogel possessed excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, and the introduction of LPRFe in the hydrogel can effectively accelerate the bone healing process. Conclusively, the combination of LPRFe with CMCSMA/GelMA hydrogel may be a promising therapeutic approach for bone defects.

Smart stimuli-responsive chitosan hydrogel for drug delivery: A review

Smart stimuli-responsive materials can respond to different signals (pH, temperature, light, electricity, etc.), and they have become a hot research topic for drug delivery. As a polysaccharide polymer with excellent biocompatibility, chitosan can be obtained from diverse natural sources. Chitosan hydrogels with different stimuli-response capabilities are widely applied in the drug delivery field. This review highlights and discusses the research progress on chitosan hydrogels concerning their stimuli-responsive capabilities. The feature of various stimuli-responsive kinds of hydrogels is outlined, and their potential use of drug delivery is summarized. Furthermore, the questions and future development chances of stimuli-responsive chitosan hydrogels are analyzed by comparing the current published literature, and the directions for the intelligent development of chitosan hydrogels are discussed.

Binary Hydrogels: Induction Methods and Recent Application Progress as Food Matrices for Bioactive Compounds Delivery-A Bibliometric Review

Food hydrogels are biopolymeric materials made from food-grade biopolymers with gelling properties (proteins and polysaccharides) and a 3D network capable of incorporating large amounts of water. They have sparked considerable interest because of their potential and broad application range in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors. However, hydrogel research in the field of food science is still limited. This knowledge gap provides numerous opportunities for implementing their unique properties, such as high water-holding capacity, moderated texture, compatibility with other substances, cell biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high resemblance to living tissues, for the development of novel, functional food matrices. For that reason, this article includes a bibliometric analysis characterizing research trends in food protein-polysaccharide hydrogels (over the last ten years). Additionally, it characterizes the most recent developments in hydrogel induction methods and the most recent application progress of hydrogels as food matrices as carriers for the targeted delivery of bioactive compounds. Finally, this article provides a future perspective on the need to evaluate the feasibility of using plant-based proteins and polysaccharides to develop food matrices that protect nutrients, including bioactive substances, throughout processing, storage, and digestion until they reach the specific targeted area of the digestive system.

Biopolymer Nanovehicles for Oral Delivery of Natural Anticancer Agents

Cancer is the second leading cause of death throughout the world. Nature‐inspired anticancer agents (NAAs) that are a gift of nature to humanity have been extensively utilized in the alleviation/prevention of the disease due to their numerous pharmacological activities. While the oral route is an ideal and common way of drug administration, the application of NAAs through the oral pathway has been extremely limited owing to their inherent features, e.g., poor solubility, gastrointestinal (GI) instability, and low bioavailability. With the development of nano‐driven encapsulation strategies, polymeric vehicles, especially those with natural origins, have demonstrated a potent platform, which can professionally shield versatile NAAs against GI barricades and safely deliver them to the site of action. In this review, the predicament of orally delivering NAAs and the encapsulation strategy solutions based on biopolymer matrices are summarized. Proof‐of‐concept in vitro/in vivo results are also discussed for oral delivery of these agents by various biopolymer vehicles, which can be found so far from the literature. Last but not the least, the challenges and new opportunities in the field are highlighted.

Opportunities and Challenges of Switchable Materials for Pharmaceutical Use

Switchable polymeric materials, which can respond to triggering signals through changes in their properties, have become a major research focus for parenteral controlled delivery systems. They may enable externally induced drug release or delivery that is adaptive to in vivo stimuli. Despite the promise of new functionalities using switchable materials, several of these concepts may need to face challenges associated with clinical use. Accordingly, this review provides an overview of various types of switchable polymers responsive to different types of stimuli and addresses opportunities and challenges that may arise from their application in biomedicine.