Multi-responsive nanofibers composite gel for local drug delivery to inhibit recurrence of glioma after operation

BACKGROUND: The postoperative recurrence of malignant gliomas has presented a clinical conundrum currently. Worse, there is no standard treatment for these recurrent tumours. Therefore, novel promising methods of clinical treatment are urgently needed. METHODS: In this study, we synthesized reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered poly(propylene sulfide)60 (PPS60) mixed with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)-responsive triglycerol monostearate (T) lipids and TMZ. The mixed solution could self-assemble at 50 ℃ to generate hydrogels with MMPs- and ROS-responsiveness. We explored whether the T/PPS + TMZ hydrogel could achieve the MMP- and ROS-responsive delivery of TMZ and exert anti-glioma regrowth effects in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrated that the T/PPS + TMZ hydrogel significantly improved the curative effect of TMZ to inhibit postsurgical recurrent glioma. RESULTS: The results confirmed the responsive release of TMZ encapsulated in the T/PPS + TMZ hydrogel, and the hydrogel showed excellent performance against glioma in an incomplete glioma operation model, which indicated that the T/PPS + TMZ hydrogel effectively inhibited the growth of recurrent glioma. CONCLUSION: In summary, we successfully developed injectable MMPs- and ROS-responsive hydrogels that could achieve the sustained release of TMZ in the surgical cavity to inhibit local recurrent glioma after surgery. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT: [Image: see text] SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-021-00943-z.