Temperature-responsive two-dimensional polydopamine hydrogel: Preparation, mechanisms, and applications in cancer treatment

Abstract

Temperature-responsive hydrogels are advanced materials that exhibit significant physical or chemical changes in response to temperature variations. When the temperature reaches a specific threshold, these hydrogels alter their properties accordingly. They offer significant advantages in cancer therapy, including precise control over drug release, minimized toxicity, improved therapeutic efficacy, and biodegradability. Advancing the development of novel temperature-responsive hydrogels is crucial for enhancing therapeutic strategies. Herein, two-dimensional polydopamine (2D PDA) was first combined with chitosan (CTS) to create a temperature-responsive hydrogel for the control and release of anticancer drugs. Leveraging the carbonyl-rich nature of 2D PDA, we initiated a reversible cyclization reaction between CTS and the carbonyl groups on the surface of 2D PDA, resulting in a temperature-responsive CTS@2D PDA (CP) hydrogel. Furthermore, the CP hydrogel template was incorporated with the photosensitizer zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) and sodium percarbonate (SPC), an oxygen (O2) donor, to form a composite hydrogel (CSZP hydrogel). O2 released from the CSZP hydrogel mitigated solid tumor hypoxia and suppressed the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), thereby augmenting the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT). This temperature-responsive hydrogel represented a highly promising platform for the precise and controlled release of various therapeutics, thereby advancing the field of targeted disease treatment.