Zwitterionic Injectable Hydrogel-Combined Chemo- and Immunotherapy Medicated by Monomolecular Micelles to Effectively Prevent the Recurrence of Tumor Post Operation

Prominent supramolecular systems for cancer Therapy: From structural design to tailored applications

Supramolecular materials represent a powerful class of platforms in cancer diagnosis and therapy, owing to their dynamic architectures, stimuli responsiveness, and high biocompatibility. This review focused on three representative categories-Pillarene-based systems, virus-mimetic nanoparticles (VMNs), and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-each offering unique structural and functional properties. Pillarene-based assemblies enable precise host-guest interactions, by being classified into amphiphilic, ionic, and chiral varieties, the robust drug loading and controlled release capabilities of the Pillarene family were emphasized. At the same time, the VMNs, including virus-like particles and virosomes, show power in cancer cell targeting and membrane penetration by emulating natural viral architectures. By discussing the fabrication and application of single-metallic, multi-metallic, and composite MOFs, their potential in multimodal diagnosis and therapy was revealed. In addition, other supramolecular categories, such as cyclodextrin and dendrimers, were introduced as well. We highlighted representative approaches and emerging methods, and comparative perspectives with traditional nanocarriers were included. A critical evaluation of pharmacokinetic behaviors, biosafety concerns, and translational limitations was also proposed, aiming to guide future research in supramolecular cancer nanomedicine. Through an integrative and forward-looking analysis, this review provided a comprehensive framework for understanding and designing supramolecular systems for precision oncology. These emerging nanotechnologies hold promise to reshape cancer medicine by enabling adaptive, targeted, and multifunctional therapeutic strategies.

Nanotechnology-driven strategies in postoperative cancer treatment: innovations in drug delivery systems

Cancer remains a global health challenge, and this challenge comes with a significant burden. Current treatment modalities, such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, have their limitations. The emergence of nanomedicines presents a new frontier in postoperative cancer treatment, offering potential to inhibit tumor recurrence and manage postoperative complications. This review deeply explores the application and potential of nanomedicines in the treatment of cancer after surgery. In particular, it focuses on local drug delivery systems (LDDS), which consist of in situ injection, implantation, and spraying. LDDS can provide targeted drug delivery and controlled release, which enhancing therapeutic efficacy. At the same time, it minimizes damage to healthy tissues and reduces systemic side effects. The nanostructures of these systems are unique. They facilitate the sustained release of drugs, prolong the effects of treatment, and decrease the frequency of dosing. This is especially beneficial in the postoperative period. Despite their potential, nanomedicines have limitations. These include high production costs, concerns regarding long-term toxicity, and complex regulatory approval processes. This paper aims to analyze several aspects. These include the advantages of nanomedicines, their drug delivery systems, how they combine with multiple treatment methods, and the associated challenges. Future research should focus on certain issues. These issues are stability, tumor specificity, and clinical translation. By addressing these, the delivery methods can be optimized and their therapeutic efficacy enhanced. With the advancements in materials science and biomedical engineering, the future design of LDDS is set to become more intelligent and personalized. It will cater to the diverse needs of clinical treatment and offer hope for better outcomes in cancer patients after surgery.

Hydrogel-based nanoparticles: revolutionizing brain tumor treatment and paving the way for future innovations

Brain tumor treatment remains a significant challenge due to their high mortality and resistance to current therapies. This paper discusses the promising potential of hydrogel-based nanoparticles as innovative drug delivery systems for brain tumor therapy. Extensive characterization techniques reveal the ability of these Nano-systems to demonstrate prolonged blood circulation and targeted delivery, leading to improved survival rates. Designed with optimized physicochemical characteristics, these nanoparticles effectively cross the blood-brain barrier, circumventing a major impediment to drug delivery to the brain. By delivering drugs directly to the tumor bed, these nanoparticles enhance therapeutic outcomes and minimize adverse effects. In addition, this review investigates the techniques for characterizing, visualizing, and modifying these nanoparticles, as well as the standing challenges and promising research avenues for their clinical application. Further investigations are encouraged by this review to investigate potential advancements in hydrogel-based nanoparticle therapeutic approaches for brain tumors. This includes investigating tailored hydrogels, hybrid systems, computational modeling, and the integration of gene therapy and immunotherapy techniques. The study also addresses the need for enhanced synthesis techniques, stability, scalability, and cost-cutting measures to overcome obstacles and advance the clinical use of hydrogel-based nanoparticles in treating brain tumors.

Injectable and Degradable Zwitterionic Cryogels as Cancer Vaccine Platforms to Prevent Cancer Recurrence after Surgery

Cancer has become a highly prevalent disease and poses serious threats to human health. Conventional cancer treatments still face high risks of recurrence. Training the immune system to recognize and eliminate tumors via external stimulation, such as vaccines, emerges as a promising approach for cancer prevention and treatment. However, injectable vaccines may have limited immune activation, causing difficulties in maintaining long-term immune surveillance of tumorigenesis by tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells. Here, degradable zwitterionic cryogels were prepared using the cryogelation technique. The cryogenic preparation maintained the biological activities of tumor antigens and immune adjuvants loaded in the cryogels. The macroporous structure endowed the injectability of cryogels into the body via conventional syringes. In the presence of proteases, the cryogels degraded, allowing sustained release of antigens and adjuvants, ensuring continued dendritic cell (DC) recruitment and antigen presentation to maturing tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the cryogel cancer vaccines elicited robust immune activation and effectively modulated tumor microenvironments. The combination with photothermal therapy significantly inhibited tumor growth, showing great potential for preventing postoperative recurrence. Additionally, the zwitterionic cryogels were biocompatible without obvious toxicities during degradation. The cryogels could serve as effective vaccine platforms to prevent cancer recurrence after surgery.

Feature Matching of Microsecond-Pulsed Magnetic Fields Combined with Fe3O4 Particles for Killing A375 Melanoma Cells

The combination of magnetic fields and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) to kill cancer cells by magneto-mechanical force represents a novel therapy, offering advantages such as non-invasiveness, among others. Pulsed magnetic fields (PMFs) hold promise for application in this therapy due to advantages such as easily adjustable parameters; however, they suffer from the drawback of narrow pulse width. In order to fully exploit the potential of PMFs and MNPs in this therapy, while maximizing therapeutic efficacy within the constraints of the narrow pulse width, a feature-matching theory is proposed, encompassing the matching of three aspects: (1) MNP volume and critical volume of Brownian relaxation, (2) relaxation time and pulse width, and (3) MNP shape and the intermittence of PMF. In the theory, a microsecond-PMF generator was developed, and four kinds of MNPs were selected for in vitro cell experiments. The results demonstrate that the killing rate of the experimental group meeting the requirements of the theory is at least 18% higher than the control group. This validates the accuracy of our theory and provides valuable guidance for the further application of PMFs in this therapy.