Platinum-based drugs and hydrogel: a promising anti-tumor combination

Platinum-based drugs are widely used as first-line anti-tumor chemotherapy agents. However, they also have nonnegligible side effects due to the free drugs in circulation. Therefore, it is necessary to develop efficient and safe delivery systems for better tumor cell targeting. Hydrogel is a promising anti-tumor drug carrier that can form a platinum/hydrogel combination system for drug release, which has shown better anti-tumor effects in some studies. However, there is a lack of systematic summary in this field. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the platinum/hydrogel combination system with the following sections: firstly, an introduction of platinum-based drugs; secondly, an analysis of the platinum/hydrogel combination system; and thirdly, a discussion of the advantages of the hydrogel-based delivery system. We hope this review can offer some insights for the development of the platinum/hydrogel combination system for better cancer therapy. The common raw materials used in the formation of hydrogels include polysaccharides, copolymers, and polypeptides, which can be cross-linked to create hydrogels. In the case of platinum-based anti-cancer drugs such as cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, they can be combined with hydrogels through physical or chemical forces, resulting in a platinum/hydrogel combination.Hydrogels play a crucial role in cancer treatment by enabling the controlled and gradual release of platinum-based drugs in response to stimuli, thereby enhancing the efficacy of cancer treatment through immune system enhancement, targeted administration, and promotion of cell apoptosis. Once the drug delivery is achieved, the hydrogel can degrade naturally in the body within a few days without exhibiting side effects.