Engineered Sustainable Mxene-PVA Hydrogel as an Inspiring Co-Delivery Carrier for Targeting Solid Tumors

Elham Ghazizadeh1,2, Mahya Sadeghi3, Hans-Peter Deigner4

  • 1Department of Bioinspired Materials and Biosensor Technologies, Institute of Materials Science, Faculty of Engineering, Kiel University, 24143 Kiel, Germany.

Pharmaceutics
|July 30, 2025
PubMed

Insights

This study introduces a novel pH-sensitive hydrogel for targeted cancer therapy. The DNA-inspired hydrogel effectively delivers Adriamycin and miR-375 to solid tumors, enhancing treatment and minimizing side effects.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Biomaterials Science
  • Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

  • Solid tumors present significant challenges in oncology due to multidrug resistance (MDR).
  • MDR leads to treatment failure and poor patient outcomes.
  • Hydrogels are being explored for localized drug delivery to combat MDR.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel hydrogel carrier for targeted delivery of Adriamycin and miR-375.
  • To combat multidrug resistance in solid tumors.
  • To minimize systemic toxicity through localized drug release.

Main Methods:

  • Biological crosslinking of MB-smDNA-MB agent to form a pH-sensitive hydrogel matrix.
  • Development of a novel PVA-MB-smDNA-MB-Mxene (PMSDMM) carrier.
  • Co-delivery of Adriamycin and miR-375 using the PMSDMM hydrogel.

Main Results:

  • The PMSDMM hydrogel demonstrated pH-sensitive drug release, with higher release rates at acidic pH (5.5) compared to physiological pH (7.4).
  • Enhanced drug release in the acidic tumor microenvironment.
  • The hydrogel improved Adriamycin and miR-375 delivery.

Conclusions:

  • The DNA bio-inspired PMSDMM hydrogel shows potential for hydrogel injection applications in tumor suppression.
  • This approach may aid in tissue regeneration after tumor resection.
  • The pH-sensitive hydrogel offers a promising strategy for localized cancer therapy.