Molecular hydrogels of hydrophobic compounds: a novel self-delivery system for anti-cancer drugs

Abstract

Cancer chemotherapy is usually necessary and to date remains the best way to reduce the size of solid tumors, eliminate tumor residues and prevent tumor metastasis after surgery. However, anti-cancer drugs such as Taxol and cisplatinum-based drugs frequently suffer from low water solubility and result in adverse side effects. An injectable delivery system that can sustainedly release anti-cancer drugs may improve the efficiency of chemotherapy and prolong the life of patients. We highlight in this paper on a novel self-delivery system of molecular hydrogels based on anti-cancer drugs. This novel kind of self-delivery system with a high weight percentage of anti-cancer drugs is injectable and can release anti-cancer drugs sustainedly over a long period of time. It might be administrated to the inside of tumors to reduce the their size for patients in a late stage of cancer or administrated in the cavities left by tumor removal to eliminate tumor residues and prevent metastasis.