Reduction-Responsive Chemo-Capsule-Based Prodrug Nanogel for Synergistic Treatment of Tumor Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is currently the most universal therapeutics to tumor treatment; however, limited curative effect and undesirable drug resistance effect are the two major clinical bottlenecks. Herein, we develop a two-in-one cross-linking strategy to prepare a stimuli-responsive prodrug nanogel by virtue of delivering a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs of 10-hydroxy camptothecin and doxorubicin for ameliorating the deficiencies of chemotherapy and amplifying the cancer therapeutic efficiency. The obtained prodrug nanogel has both high drug loading capacity and suitable nanoscale size, which are beneficial to the cell uptake and tumor penetration. Moreover, the chemotherapeutic drugs are released from the prodrug nanogel in response to the reductive tumor microenvironment, enhancing tumor growth inhibition in vitro and in vivo by the synergistic DNA damage. Based on these results, the unique prodrug nanogel would be a promising candidate for satisfactory tumor treatment-based chemotherapy by a simple but efficient strategy.

Automated summary

A stimuli-responsive prodrug nanogel was developed using a two-in-one cross-linking strategy to deliver a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs for improving the deficiencies of chemotherapy and enhancing cancer therapeutic efficiency. The high drug loading capacity and suitable nanoscale size of the obtained nanogel facilitate cell uptake and tumor penetration, leading to enhanced tumor growth inhibition by the synergistic DNA damage in response to the reductive tumor microenvironment. This unique prodrug nanogel shows promise as a candidate for effective tumor treatment-based chemotherapy.