Advances in stimuli-responsive polymeric hydrogels for anticancer drug delivery: A review

Cancer remains a critical global health challenge, being the second leading cause of death worldwide, following cardiovascular illnesses. Traditional chemotherapy is hampered by several limitations, including poor water solubility, inadequate bioavailability, non-specific targeting, rapid development of drug resistance, and collateral damage to healthy tissues. To address these issues, significant research efforts have focused on developing innovative drug delivery systems that respond to external stimuli. This review highlights novel advancements in stimuli-responsive hydrogels, which can dynamically alter their properties such as shape, solubility, and release profiles when exposed to various triggers like pH, temperature, light, magnetic field, ionic strength, and enzymes. The comprehensive analysis of recent progress in hydrogel technology for anticancer drug delivery emphasizes the integration of multi-responsive mechanisms that allow for precise control over drug release kinetics. The review discusses design strategies for different types of stimuli-responsive hydrogels and their potential to address challenges associated with traditional therapies. A key novelty of this work lies in its focus on the latest research outcomes that demonstrate how these hydrogels can enhance drug targeting and minimize side effects. Additionally, it addresses current limitations and outlines future research directions for utilizing these advanced hydrogels in anticancer drug delivery.