Hydrogel-bound cytotoxic drug delivery system for breast cancer

Breast cancer was first noted by the ancient Egyptians more than 3500 years ago. In India, the US, and China about 221757, 287750, and 429105 cases of breast cancer were reported in the year 2022. The conventional chemotherapeutic agents used in breast cancer not only kill the cancer cells but the healthy cells also. Hydrogels, composed of different polymers, targeted to deliver natural and synthetic cytotoxic drugs in the microenvironment of breast cancer are reviewed in this manuscript. This manuscript is focused on providing insight into smart hydrogel which improves the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of breast cancer. Smart hydrogels, in response to specific stimuli such as pH, temperature, light, etc., release cytotoxic drugs in breast cancer tissue and improve the retention time of the drug at the site of action. The site-specific delivery and retention of anticancer drugs help in reducing the adverse effects. Smart hydrogels have been gaining more attention for delivering cytotoxic drugs to tumor microenvironments in response to specific stimuli. This manuscript emphasizes the stimuli-sensitive hydrogels fabricated especially for breast cancer.