Browsing by Author "Tanga, Sandrine"

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    Design of a thermoresponsive hydrogel for enhanced intratumoral permeation of a chemotherapeutic agent in oral squamous cell carcinoma
    (University of the Western Cape, 2023) Tanga, Sandrine; Aucamp, Marique
    Introduction: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most common and aggressive cancer occurring in the oral cavity. Intravenous chemotherapy remains a pivotal part of treatment for the disease; however, these drugs cause debilitating systemic side effects and are unable to permeate into the deep compact layers of tumorous tissue cells. Herein, the intratumoral delivery of doxorubicin using a novel hydrogel blend, of chitosan/k-carrageenan and PluronicTM F127, for a rapid solution-to-gel thermoresponsive transition at 37 °C is proposed to achieve tumour-specific delivery and controlled drug release. For enhanced permeation, a novel monoterpene – limonene with high lipophilicity and anti-cancer effect is combined with the hydrogel system.