Coordination of injectable self-healing hydrogel with Mn-Zn ferrite@mesoporous silica nanospheres for tumor MR imaging and efficient synergistic magnetothermal-chemo-chemodynamic therapy

Abstract Compared to conventional chemotherapy with subcutaneous and intravenous injection, injection of self-healing hydrogel drug-delivery system to tumor site brings less toxicity for normal tissues, but also better specificity for tumor cells on account of spontaneous repair and better retention. More importantly, it is essential to introduce multifunctional nanomaterials into self-healing hydrogel loading chemotherapeutic drugs to significantly enhance tumor treatment effect. Therefore, Rhodamin B isothiocyanate (RBITC)-labeled mesoporous silica nanospheres with Mn-Zn Ferrite (Mn0.6Zn0.4Fe2O4) nanoparticle core (MMSN-RBITC) are prepared and well-dispersed into hydrogel system. The generated heat under alternate magnetic field induces hyperthermia effect for magnetothermal therapy, which could also promote the sensibilization of chemotherapy. Hydroxyl radicals are produced via Fenton-like catalyzation after the cellular uptake of MMSN-RBITCs further promoting the cell apoptosis via chemodynamic therapy. The nanoplatform also presents excellent T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging contrast enhancement. As a result, the hydrogel system is effectively enhanced and enriched via the introduction of the nanospheres. In vitro and in vivo results indicate that this strategy of self-healing hydrogel loading DOX and MMSN-RBITC can achieve tumor diagnosis and efficiently synergistic magnetothermal-chemo-chemodynamic therapy. This strategy could inspire people to construct more promising platforms combining self-healing hydrogel with multifunctional nanomaterials for more efficient cancer treatment with versatile therapeutic methods.