Multifunctional Smart Injectable Triblock Copolymer Hydrogel for Highly Efficient Dual Drug-Gene Delivery in...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is aggressive and lacks targeted therapies.
• Elevated intracellular Cu2+ ions are characteristic of TNBC.
• Multifunctional nanocarriers offer a promising strategy for TNBC theranostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer an injectable, triple-stimuli-responsive polymeric nanocarrier for TNBC theranostics.
• To integrate light, pH, and temperature responsiveness with Cu2+ ion sensitivity.
• To achieve dual drug-gene delivery and enable Cu2+-guided detection.

Main Methods:

• Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used to synthesize an amphiphilic triblock copolymer.
• The copolymer incorporated spiropyran (SP), hydroxyethyl methacrylate-glycine (HEMA-Gly), and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAM) units.
• In vitro studies involved drug loading/release, cytotoxicity assays, cellular uptake imaging, ROS production analysis, and gene transfection efficiency tests.

Main Results:

• The nanocarrier demonstrated controlled doxorubicin (DOX) release under acidic conditions.
• Efficient cellular uptake and enhanced ROS production were observed in MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells.
• The system showed high gene transfection efficiency and selective Cu2+ ion sensing via fluorescence quenching.

Conclusions:

• The RAFT-synthesized triblock copolymer functions as a versatile theranostic platform for TNBC.
• The nanocarrier enables simultaneous drug release, gene transfection, ROS induction, and Cu2+-guided detection.
• This multifunctional platform shows promise for advanced TNBC diagnostics and combination therapy.