Biomimetic adhesive hydrogel microcarriers for gas therapy and chemotherapy of gastric cancer.
Liang Danna D, Lu Jianhua J, Li Hongzheng H, Rao Shangrui S et al.
The incidence of gastric cancer ranks fifth worldwide, and peritoneal metastasis is a crucial factor leading to high mortality. Combination therapy strategies have demonstrated great value in treating metastatic gastric cancer. Herein, inspired by the adhesive ability of mussels, biomimetic adhesive hydrogel microspheres (MSs) encapsulated with NO donors (S-nitrosoglutathione, GSNO), polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticles, and a chemotherapeutic agent (Oxaliplatin, OXA) were fabricated for gastric cancer combination therapy. Owing to the adhesion properties of PDA, the MSs can firmly adhere to the peritoneum. Benefiting from the outstanding photothermal properties of PDA and the thermosensitive characteristics of GSNO, the MSs enable photothermal therapy and NO-triggered gas therapy upon near-infrared irradiation. Together with OXA-mediated chemotherapy, the adhesive MSs can effectively eradicate cancer cells in vitro and potently inhibit tumor growth in vivo, while exhibiting minimal systemic side effects. Therefore, these biomimetic adhesive MSs hold great promise as a multimodal therapeutic system for peritoneal metastasis of gastric cancer. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: : Gastric cancer often spreads to the abdominal lining, causing high mortality. Inspired by how mussels stick to surfaces, we developed adhesive hydrogel microspheres that combine three therapies in one platform: heat-generating particles (polydopamine, PDA), nitric oxide gas donors (S-nitrosoglutathione, GSNO), and chemotherapy drug (Oxaliplatin, OXA). These sticky microspheres firmly attach to the peritoneum and unleash heat, gas, and drugs simultaneously when activated by near-infrared light. This triple-action strategy effectively destroys cancer cells and significantly suppresses tumor growth in mice with minimal side effects. By integrating mussel-like adhesion with multimodal therapy, this work offers an innovative approach for treating metastatic gastric cancer.