Treatment of cancer in the peritoneal cavity may be improved with macroscale drug delivery systems that offer control over intraperitoneal concentration of chemotherapeutic agents. Currently, suitable drug carriers to facilitate a sustained release of small hydrophilic drugs such as mitomycin C are lacking. For this purpose, a pH‐responsive supramolecular hydrogel based on ureido‐pyrimidinone (UPy) chemistry is utilized here. In order to provide a sustained release profile, a lipophilicity‐increasing cholesterol conjugation strategy is proposed that enhances affinity between the modified drug (mitomycin‐PEG₂₄‐cholesterol, MPC) and the hydrophobic compartments in the UPy gel. Additional advantages of cholesterol conjugation include improved chemical stability and potency of mitomycin C. In vitro the tunability of the system to obtain optimal effective concentrations over time is demonstrated with a combinatorial treatment of mitomycin C and MPC in one UPy hydrogel delivery system.

中文翻译：

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胆固醇修饰的抗癌药，以有效地纳入超分子水凝胶系统。

可以通过控制腹膜内化学治疗剂浓度的大规模药物输送系统来改善腹膜腔内癌症的治疗。当前，缺乏促进小亲水性药物如丝裂霉素C的持续释放的合适药物载体。为此，在此利用了基于脲基嘧啶酮（UPy）化学的pH响应型超分子水凝胶。为了提供持续释放的特性，提出了增加亲脂性的胆固醇缀合策略，以增强修饰药物之间的亲和力（丝裂霉素-PEG ₂₄-胆固醇，MPC）和UPy凝胶中的疏水部分。胆固醇结合的其他优点包括改进的化学稳定性和丝裂霉素C的效力。在一个UPy水凝胶递送系统中，丝裂霉素C和MPC的组合治疗证明了该系统随时间获得最佳有效浓度的系统可调性。