Injectable Thermosensitive Hydrogel Containing Erlotinib‐Loaded Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles as a Localized Drug Delivery System for NSCLC Therapy

Abstract Erlotinib (ERT), oral administration agents, is one of the most pivotal targeted drugs in the treatment of non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); however, its poor solubility, low oral bioavailability, and capricious toxicity limit broader clinical applications. In this paper, a novel injectable matrix is prepared based on hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSNs) and thermosensitive poly( d , l ‐lactide)‐poly(ethylene glycol)‐poly( d , l ‐lactide) (PDLLA‐PEG‐PDLLA, PLEL) hydrogel to encapsulate and localize the sustained release of ERT for improved efficacy against NSCLC. The test‐tube‐inversion method shows that this ERT‐loaded hydrogel composite (ERT@HMSNs/gel) presents as an injectable flowing solution under room temperature and transfers into a physically crosslinked non‐flowing gel structure at physiological temperature.The ERT@HMSNs/gel composite shows a much longer intratumoral and peritumoral drug retention by in vivo imaging study. Notably, this injectable drug delivery system (DDS) provides an impressive balance between antitumor efficacy and systemic safety in a mice xenograft model. The novel ERT loaded HMSNs/gel system may be a promising candidate for the in situ treatment of NSCLC. Moreover, this study provides a prospective platform for the design and fabrication of a nano‐scaled delivery system for localized anticancer therapies.