Injectable Thermosensitive Hydrogel Containing Erlotinib‐Loaded Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Localized Drug Delivery System for NSCLC Therapy

Erlotinib (ERT), oral administration agents, is one of the most pivotal targeted drugs in the treatment of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, its poor solubility, low oral bioavailability, and capricious toxicity limit broader clinical applications. In this paper, a novel injectable matrix is prepared based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) and thermosensitive poly(d,l‐lactide)‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐poly(d,l‐lactide) (PDLLA‐PEG‐PDLLA, PLEL) hydrogel to encapsulate and localize the sustained release of ERT for improved efficacy against NSCLC. The test‐tube‐inversion method shows that this ERT‐loaded hydrogel composite (ERT@HMSNs/gel) presents as an injectable flowing solution under room temperature and transfers into a physically crosslinked non‐flowing gel structure at physiological temperature.The ERT@HMSNs/gel composite shows a much longer intratumoral and peritumoral drug retention by in vivo imaging study. Notably, this injectable drug delivery system (DDS) provides an impressive balance between antitumor efficacy and systemic safety in a mice xenograft model. The novel ERT loaded HMSNs/gel system may be a promising candidate for the in situ treatment of NSCLC. Moreover, this study provides a prospective platform for the design and fabrication of a nano‐scaled delivery system for localized anticancer therapies.