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Research Progress of Drug Delivery Systems Consisting of Hydrogels Loaded with Extracellular Vesicles in Tumor
Shaojian Zou1, Lipeng Zhang2, Xiang Chen3
1Huan Kui Academy, Jiangxi Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330006, China.
Abstract:
Traditional cancer therapies have limitations like poor efficacy on advanced tumors, healthy tissue damage, side effects, and drug resistance, creating an urgent need for new strategies. Hydrogels have good biocompatibility and controlled release, while extracellular vesicles (EVs) enable targeting and bioactive transport. This review systematically summarizes hydrogels and EVs, focusing on the construction of hydrogel-EV delivery system, key influencing factors, drug delivery mechanisms, and tumor therapy apps, clarifying their synergies. The system overcomes single-carrier flaws, construction methods/key factors affect performance, preclinical studies have confirmed efficacy in multiple therapies, but large-scale production and in vivo stability challenges remain, yet it promises to overcome the limits of traditional therapy for precision oncology.
Insights
This review explores novel hydrogel-extracellular vesicle (EV) systems for cancer therapy. These combined drug delivery systems show promise for overcoming traditional treatment limitations and advancing precision oncology.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Oncology
Background:
- Traditional cancer therapies face challenges including limited efficacy against advanced tumors, damage to healthy tissues, adverse side effects, and the development of drug resistance.
- There is a significant unmet need for innovative therapeutic strategies to address these limitations in cancer treatment.
- Hydrogels offer excellent biocompatibility and controlled drug release capabilities, while extracellular vesicles (EVs) provide targeted delivery and transport of bioactive molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the development and application of hydrogel-extracellular vesicle (EV) delivery systems for cancer therapy.
- To elucidate the synergistic effects between hydrogels and EVs in drug delivery and tumor treatment.
- To identify key factors influencing the performance of these composite delivery systems.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of literature on hydrogel-EV composite systems for drug delivery.
- Analysis of construction methodologies and critical factors impacting hydrogel-EV system performance.
- Evaluation of drug delivery mechanisms and therapeutic applications in preclinical tumor models.
Main Results:
- Hydrogel-EV systems effectively combine the advantages of both hydrogels and EVs, overcoming the limitations of single-carrier systems.
- Construction methods and key influencing factors significantly impact the efficacy and functionality of these composite delivery systems.
- Preclinical studies demonstrate the efficacy of hydrogel-EV systems across various cancer therapy modalities.
Conclusions:
- Hydrogel-EV delivery systems represent a promising strategy for overcoming the limitations of conventional cancer therapies.
- Further research is needed to address challenges in large-scale production and in vivo stability for clinical translation.
- These advanced delivery systems hold significant potential for the future of precision oncology.
