Abstract
The in situ gelling hybrid hydrogel system has been reported to effectively concentrate chemotherapeutic drugs at the tumor site and sustain their release for a long period. DTX-micelles (docetaxel-loaded mixed micelles) are able to increase the solubility of DTX in water, and then a high drug loading rate of hydrogels can be achieved by encapsulating the docetaxel-loaded mixed micelles into the hydrogels. The thermosensitive nature of DTX-MM-hydrogels (thermosensitive hydrogels incorporated with docetaxel-loaded mixed micelles) can accelerate the formation of a depot of this drug-loaded system at the site of administration. Therefore, the hydrogels provide a much slower release compared with DTX-micelles and DTX-injection. An in vivo retention study has demonstrated that the DTX-MM-hydrogels can prolong the drug retention time and in vivo trials have shown that the DTX-MM-hydrogels have a higher antitumor efficacy and systemic safety. In conclusion, the DTX-MM-hydrogels prepared in this study have considerable potential as a drug delivery system, with higher tumor inhibition effects and are less toxic to normal tissues.