Non-specific toxicity of chemotherapeutics and evolution of malignant tumors against them are major challenges for existing cancer chemotherapeutic regimens. Engineering of nanomaterials has attempted to minimize the toxicity of anticancer drugs, but systemic delivery of these nanomaterials still imposes many hurdles in their clinical use like burst release of chemotherapeutics and toxicity and immunogenicity associated with excipients of nanomaterials. However, there has been a surge in the development of natural and synthetic nanomaterials to deliver anticancer agents to the diseased (tumor) site as it can minimize the systemic circulation of anticancer drugs and reduce the toxicity-related challenges. Therefore, localized drug delivery is considered as the most effective way to deliver therapeutics but is further challenged by poor biodegradability, high immunogenicity, poor drug entrapment efficacy and inability to maintain sustained release of anticancer agents at the tumor site. This review maps out recent advancements in engineering of low molecular weight hydrogels derived from amino acid, fatty acyl, steroidal lipid and drug conjugated amphiphilic scaffolds. We have summarized the efforts for the development of molecular hydrogels in terms of biocompatibility, therapeutic potential and challenges associated with existing molecular hydrogels for cancer therapy.

中文翻译：

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自组装可注射水凝胶用于癌症治疗的进展。

化学疗法的非特异性毒性和针对它们的恶性肿瘤的发展是现有癌症化学疗法的主要挑战。纳米材料的工程学试图将抗癌药的毒性减至最小，但是这些纳米材料的系统递送仍然在其临床应用中施加许多障碍，例如化学治疗剂的爆炸释放以及与纳米材料赋形剂相关的毒性和免疫原性。然而，将抗癌剂递送到患病（肿瘤）部位的天然和合成纳米材料的开发已经激增，因为它可以最小化抗癌药的全身循环并减少毒性相关的挑战。因此，局部药物递送被认为是递送治疗剂的最有效方法，但生物降解性差，免疫原性高，药物截留效果差以及无法在肿瘤部位持续释放抗癌剂进一步受到挑战。这篇综述勾勒出了从氨基酸，脂肪酰基，类固醇脂质和药物结合的两亲性支架衍生的低分子量水凝胶工程化的最新进展。我们已经从生物相容性，治疗潜力以及与现有的用于癌症治疗的分子水凝胶相关的挑战方面总结了开发分子水凝胶的努力。这篇综述勾勒出了从氨基酸，脂肪酰基，类固醇脂质和药物结合的两亲性支架衍生而来的低分子量水凝胶工程化的最新进展。我们已经从生物相容性，治疗潜力以及与现有的用于癌症治疗的分子水凝胶相关的挑战方面总结了开发分子水凝胶的努力。这篇综述勾勒出了从氨基酸，脂肪酰基，类固醇脂质和药物结合的两亲性支架衍生而来的低分子量水凝胶工程化的最新进展。我们已经从生物相容性，治疗潜力以及与现有的用于癌症治疗的分子水凝胶相关的挑战方面总结了开发分子水凝胶的努力。