Doxorubicin-Loaded Injectable Hydrogel to Prevent Postoperative Recurrence of Colorectal Cancer and Accelerate Wound Healing

Postoperative recurrence and impaired wound healing remain two critical challenges in colorectal cancer treatment. Local chemotherapy, as a promising strategy to address these issues, has attracted considerable attention. This study aimed to develop a sodium alginate (SA)-based injectable hydrogel encapsulating doxorubicin (DOX), with the dual goals of preventing postoperative colorectal cancer recurrence and promoting wound healing. The medicated hydrogel, termed DOX@OSA^gel, enabled the sustained release of DOX, which effectively inhibited the proliferation of CT-26 cells and significantly suppressed tumor recurrence. Multiple lines of evidence strongly support this conclusion, including a marked reduction in tumor volumes, and a higher rate of tumor recurrence inhibition, and a substantial increase in apoptosis within CT-26 cells. Furthermore, Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) and Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining assays further confirmed that DOX@OSA^gel effectively suppressed postoperative recurrence of CT-26 tumors. Moreover, treatment with cargo-free OSA^gel resulted in smaller wound sizes, accelerated wound closure, reduced inflammatory responses, and increased microangiogenesis, which indicated that the hydrogel accelerated wound healing. Collectively, DOX@OSA^gel presents a promising local chemotherapeutic platform with the dual potential to inhibit postoperative recurrence and promote wound healing in colorectal cancer treatment.