title: The development of low-molecular weight hydrogels for applications in cancer therapy.
abstract: To improve the anti-cancer efficacy and to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy, a variety of drug delivery systems have been invented in past decades, but few of these systems have succeeded in clinical trials due to their respective inherent shortcomings. Recently, low-molecular weight hydrogels of peptides that self-assemble via non-covalent interactions have attracted considerable attention due to their good biocompatibility, low toxicity, inherent biodegradability as well as their convenience of design. Low-molecular weight hydrogels have already shown promise in biomedical applications as diverse as 3D-cell culture, enzyme immobilization, controllable MSC differentiation, wound healing, drug delivery etc. Here we review the recent development in the use of low-molecular weight hydrogels for cancer therapy, which may be helpful in the design of soft materials for drug delivery.
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300060, PR China. niurf1982@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Runfang
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Niu
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D004337:Drug Carriers; D020100:Hydrogels; D010455:Peptides