Local delivery of chemotherapeutic agent in tissue engineering based on gelatin/graphene hydrogel

Repairing and replacing of tumor tissues have been grown due to the genetic changes and environmental factors. Conventional cancer therapies apply the systemic approaches for delivery of anticancer agents in which normal and cancer cells are not discriminated. Therefore, the risk of cancer recurrence in the resection site increases. In this paper, we studied a graphene reinforced gelatin hydrogel for tissue engineering and local controlled release of chemotherapeutic agents. Protein-integrated graphene (PIG) synthesized by ultrasonic-supported technique was incorporated into gelatin matrix, where the swelling ratio of hydrogels decreased with increasing the PIG concentration. In hydrogels, doxorubicin (DOX) was released in a controlled and pH-sensitive manner and the release rate was controlled by PIG concentration. The effect of PIG on the controlled release system was detected in MCF-7 cell viability. Moreover, 3D tumor spheroid test studied the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell aggregation as an in vivo model. Generally, we introduced a novel hydrogel nanocomposite, which is a suitable candidate for post-surgery treatment and localized therapy.