Design of a novel long-acting dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist.

Tirzepatide, the first approved dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonist (RA), has achieved better clinical outcomes than other GLP-1RAs. However, it is an imbalanced dual GIP/GLP-1 RA, and it remains unclear whether the degree of imbalance is optimal. Here, we present a novel long-acting dual GLP-1/GIP RA that exhibits better activity than tirzepatide toward GLP-1R. A candidate conjugate, D314, identified via peptide design, synthesis, conjugation, and experimentation, was evaluated using chronic studies in db/db and diet induced obese (DIO) mice. D314 achieved favorable blood glucose and body weight-lowering effects, equal to those of tirzepatide. Its half-life in dogs (T1/2: 78.3 ± 14.01 h) reveals its suitability for once-weekly administration in humans. This preclinical study suggests the potential role of D314 as an effective agent for treating T2DM and obesity.

Long-Term Strategies for Poorly Water-Soluble Peptides: Combining Fatty Acid Modification with PAS Fusion.

Bulevirtide, an entry inhibitor for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis D virus (HDV), is currently available on the European market. However, its clinical application is constrained by its short half-life and poor water solubility, rendering it unsuitable for fatty acid modification, aimed at achieving long-term effects. To address this limitation, we integrated a polypeptide chain consisting of Pro, Ala, and Ser at the C-terminus, which increased its hydrophilicity. To obtain the fusion sequence of A1 and A2, encompassing amino acids 1-47 of Bulevirtide and PAS, we used Escherichia coli fermentation expression. Subsequently, the N-terminal myristoyl groups of A1 and A2 were modified to yield Myr-A1 and Myr-A2, respectively. Five fatty acid moieties with the same hydrophilic spacers and different fatty acids were conjugated to analogs, generating 10 bioconjugations. The bioconjugates were then evaluated for their anti-HBV activity. Among them, HB-10 was selected for pharmacokinetic analysis and demonstrated a significantly prolonged half-life, with 5.88- and 13.18-fold increases in beagle dogs and rats, respectively. Additionally, higher drug doses resulted in substantially elevated liver concentrations. In conclusion, via fatty acid incorporation and PASylation, we successfully developed a novel Bulevirtide bioconjugate, HB-10, that exhibits an extended action duration. This compound holds substantial promise as a prospective long-acting entry inhibitor, warranting further investigation.

Discovery of imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine macrocyclic derivatives as novel ALK inhibitors capable of combating multiple resistant mutants.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) often loses effectiveness against non-small cell lung malignancies (NSCLCs) with ALK gene rearrangements (ALK+). 19 novel imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine macrocyclic derivatives were designed, synthesized, and tested for their biological activities in an effort to develop ALK inhibitors that would overcome second-generation ALK-TKIs, particularly the G1202R mutation and the lorlatinib-resistant L1196M/G1202R double mutations. Of all the target substances, O-10 had the most effective enzymatic inhibitory activity, with IC50 values for ALKWT, ALKG1202R, and ALKL1196M/G1202R of 2.6, 6.4, and 23 nM, respectively. O-10, on the other hand, reduced the growth of ALK-positive Karpas299, BaF3-EML4-ALKG1202R, and BaF3-EML4-ALKL1196M/G1202R cells with IC50 values of 38, 52, and 64 nM, respectively. This was equally effective to the reference drug Repotrectinib (IC50 = 40, 164, and 208 nM). The kinase selectivity profile, liver microsome stability test and in vivo pharmacokinetic properties in SD rats of compound O-10 were further evaluated. O-10 was regarded as an effective ALK inhibitor for the treatment of mutations overall.

Design and synthesis of boron-containing ALK inhibitor with favorable in vivo efficacy.

ALK is an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. As an emerging element in medicinal chemistry, boron has achieved great success in the discovery of antitumor drugs and antibacterial agents. Through construction of a BCC (boron-containing compound) compound library and broad kinase screening, we found the ALK inhibitor hit compound 10a. Structural optimization by CADD and isosterism revealed that lead compound 10k has improved activity (ALKL1196M IC50 = 8.4 nM, NCI-H2228 cells IC50 = 520 nM) and better in vitro metabolic stability (human liver microsomes, T1/2 = 238 min). Compound 10k showed good in vivo efficacy in a nude mouse NCI-H2228 lung cancer xenograft model with a TGI of 52 %. Molecular simulation analysis results show that the hydroxyl group on the oxaborole forms a key hydrogen bond with Asn1254 or Asp1270, and this binding site provides a new idea for drug design. This is the first publicly reported lead compound for a boron-containing ALK inhibitor.

Discovery of potent and selective Bcl-2 inhibitors with acyl sulfonamide skeleton.

The antiapoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), overexpressed in many tumor cells, is an attractive target for potential small molecule anticancer drug discovery. Herein, a series of novel derivatives with acyl sulfonamide skeleton was designed, synthesized, and evaluated as Bcl-2 inhibitors by means of bioisosteric replacement. Among them, compound 24g demonstrated equal efficient inhibition activity against RS4;11 cell line compared to positive control ABT-199. Moreover, it showed improved selectivity for Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitory effects, the result of which was consistent with platelet toxicity studies. In vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic properties of compound 24g had a significantly improved profiles. Taken together, those results suggested it as a promising candidate for development of novel therapeutics targeting Bcl-2 in cancer.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate prevents cadmium-induced activation of JNK and apoptotic hepatocyte death by reversing ROS-inactivated PP2A.

OBJECTIVES: Cadmium (Cd) induces reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated hepatocyte apoptosis and consequential liver disorders. This study aimed to investigate the effect of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) on Cd-induced hepatotoxicity. METHODS: L02 and AML-12 cells were used to study MgIG hepatoprotective effects. Cd-evoked apoptosis, ROS and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)/c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) cascade disruption were analysed by cell viability assay, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) and TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling (TUNEL) staining, ROS imaging and Western blotting. Pharmacological and genetic approaches were used to explore the mechanisms. KEY FINDINGS: We show that MgIG attenuated Cd-evoked hepatocyte apoptosis by blocking JNK pathway. Pre-treatment with SP600125 or ectopic expression of dominant-negative c-Jun enhanced MgIG's anti-apoptotic effects. Further investigation found that MgIG rescued Cd-inactivated PP2A. Inhibition of PP2A activity by okadaic acid attenuated the MgIG's inhibition of the Cd-stimulated JNK pathway and apoptosis; in contrast, overexpression of PP2A strengthened the MgIG effects. In addition, MgIG blocked Cd-induced ROS generation. Eliminating ROS by N-acetyl-l-cysteine abrogated Cd-induced PP2A-JNK pathway disruption and concurrently reinforced MgIG-conferred protective effects, which could be further slightly strengthened by PP2A overexpression. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that MgIG is a promising hepatoprotective agent for the prevention of Cd-induced hepatic injury by mitigating ROS-inactivated PP2A, thus preventing JNK activation and hepatocyte apoptosis.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate alleviates fructose-induced liver oxidative stress and inflammatory injury through suppressing NOXs.

Excessive fructose intake is a risk factor for liver oxidative stress injury. Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate as a hepatoprotective agent is used to treat liver diseases in clinic. However, its antioxidant effects and the underlying potential mechanisms are still not clearly understood. In this study, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate was found to alleviate liver oxidative stress and inflammatory injury in fructose-fed rats. Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate suppressed hepatic reactive oxygen species overproduction (0.97 ± 0.04 a.u. versus 1.34 ± 0.07 a.u.) in fructose-fed rats by down-regulating mRNA and protein levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NOX) 1, NOX2 and NOX4, resulting in reduction of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) levels (1.13 ± 0.09 a.u. versus 1.97 ± 0.12 a.u.). Similarly, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate reduced reactive oxygen species overproduction (1.07 ± 0.02 a.u. versus 1.35 ± 0.06 a.u.) and IL-1ß levels (1.14 ± 0.09 a.u. versus 1.66 ± 0.07 a.u.) in fructose-exposed HepG2 cells. Furthermore, data from treatment of reactive oxygen species inhibitor N-acetyl-L-cysteine or NOXs inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium in fructose-exposed HepG2 cells showed that fructose enhanced NOX1, NOX2 and NOX4 expression to increase reactive oxygen species generation, causing oxidative stress and inflammation, more importantly, these disturbances were significantly attenuated by magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate. The molecular mechanisms underpinning these effects suggest that magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate may inhibit NOX1, NOX2 and NOX4 expression to reduce reactive oxygen species generation, subsequently prevent liver oxidative stress injury under high fructose condition. Thus, the blockade of NOX1, NOX2 and NOX4 expression by magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate may be the potential therapeutic approach for improving fructose-induced liver injury in clinic.

Design and synthesis of boron-containing diphenylpyrimidines as potent BTK and JAK3 dual inhibitors.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) and Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) are very promising targets for hematological malignancies and autoimmune diseases. In recent years, a few compounds have been approved as a marketed medicine, and several are undergoing clinical trials. By recombining the dominant backbone of known active compounds, constructing a foused library, and screening a broad panel of kinases, we found a class of compounds with dual activities of anti-BTK and anti-JAK3. Some of the compounds have shown 10-folds more active in the enzyme and cell-based assays than a known active compound. Furthermore, liver microsome stability experiments show that these compounds have better stability than ibrutinib. These explorations offered new clues to discover benzoxaborole fragment and pyrimidine scaffold as more effective BTK and JAK3 dual inhibitors.

Ameliorative effect of Magnesium Isoglycyrrhizinate on hepatic encephalopathy by Epirubicin.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of Magnesium Isoglycyrrhizinate (MI) on Epirubicin (EPI)-induced hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Mice were divided randomly into groups for treatments as follows: control group, EPI group (Model group), EPI + MI (25, 50 mg/kg) group. Morris water maze test were conducted to evaluate the spatial learning and memory ability. The serum and hippocampus levels of oxidative stress or inflammation were uncovered with the detection of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α). RESULTS: As a result, treatment with MI effectively ameliorated the EPI-induced decline in the ability of spatial learning and memory. MI also significantly relieved the severity of oxidative stress or inflammation in serum and hippocampus, which was accompanied with regulating liver functional parameters. Western blot data demonstrated that administration of MI could regulate the redox-related expressions of Txnip, Trx, Nrf2, HO-1, p-IκB-α, p-NF-κB, Caspase-3, Caspase-9, Bax and Bcl-2 in EPI-stimulated hepatic encephalopathy (HE). And the potency of MI treatments on Nrf2, NF-κB expression was also confirmed with immunohistochemical analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the protective effect of Magnesium Isoglycyrrhizinate on EPI-induced hepatic encephalopathy might be mediated via the Txnip/Nrf2/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate ameliorates fructose-induced podocyte apoptosis through downregulation of miR-193a to increase WT1.

High fructose intake is a risk of glomerular podocyte dysfunction. Podocyte apoptosis has emerged as a major cause of podocyte loss, exacerbating proteinuria. Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG) is usually used as a hepatoprotective agent in clinic. Liver and kidney injury often occurs in human diseases. Recent report shows that MgIG improves kidney function. In this study, we found that MgIG significantly alleviated kidney dysfunction, proteinuria and podocyte injury in fructose-fed rats. It also restored fructose-induced podocyte apoptosis in rat glomeruli and cultured differentiated podocytes. Of note, high-expression of miR-193a, downregulation of Wilms' tumor protein (WT1) and RelA, as well as upregulation of C-Maf inducing protein (C-mip) were observed in these animal and cell models. The data from the transfection of miR-193a mimic, miR-193a inhibitor, WT1 siRNA or LV5-WT1 in cultured differentiated podocytes showed that fructose increased miR-193a to down-regulate WT1, and subsequently activated C-mip to suppress RelA, causing podocyte apoptosis. These disturbances were significantly attenuated by MgIG. Taken together, these results provide the first evidence that MgIG restrains fructose-induced podocyte apoptosis at least partly through inhibiting miR-193a to upregulate WT1, supporting the application of MgIG with a novel mechanism-of-action against podocyte apoptosis associated with fructose-induced kidney dysfunction.

Structure-activity relationship study of a series of caspase inhibitors containing γ-amino acid moiety for treatment of cholestatic liver disease.

A series of caspase inhibitors containing γ-amino acid moiety have been synthesized. A systemic study on their structure-activity relationship of anti-apoptotic cellular activity is presented. These efforts led to the discovery of compound 20o as a potent caspase inhibitor, which demonstrated preclinical ameliorating total bilirubin efficacy with a significantly improved pharmacokinetic profile.

6,7-Dimorpholinoalkoxy quinazoline derivatives as potent EGFR inhibitors with enhanced antiproliferative activities against tumor cells.

A series of novel 6,7-dimorpholinoalkoxy quinazoline derivatives was designed, synthesized and evaluated as potent EGFR inhibitors. Most of synthesized derivatives exhibited moderate to excellent antiproliferative activities against five human tumor cell lines. Compound 8d displayed the most remarkable inhibitory activities against tumor cells expressing wild type (A431, A549 and SW480 cells) or mutant (HCC827 and NCI-H1975 cells) epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (with IC50 values in the range of 0.37-4.87 µM), as well as more potent inhibitory effects against recombinant EGFR tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK, wt or T790M) (with the IC50 values of 7.0 and 9.3 nM, respectively). Molecular docking showed that 8d can form four hydrogen bonds with EGFR, and two of them were located in the Asp855-Phe856-Gly857 (DFG) motif of EGFR. Meanwhile, 8d can significantly block EGF-induced EGFR activation and the phosphorylation of its downstream proteins such as Akt and Erk1/2 in human NSCLC cells. Also, 8d mediated cell apoptosis and the prolongation of cell cycle progression in G0/G1-phase in A549 cells. The work would have remarkable implications for further design and development of more potent EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Synthesis of tigogenin MeON-Neoglycosides and their antitumor activity.

To discover new potent cytotoxic steroidal saponins, a series of tigogenin neoglycosides were synthesized via oxyamine neoglycosylation for the first time. The preliminary bioassays for their in vitro antitumor activities against five human cancer cell lines (A375, A-549, HCT-116, HepG2 and MCF-7) were conducted. The results revealed a sugar-dependent activity profile of their cytotoxicity, the glycoconjugation converted the non-active tigogenin to the most potential product Tg29 ((3R)-N-methoxyamino-tigogenin-ß-2-deoxy-d-galactoside) with IC50 value of 2.7µM and 4.6µM against HepG2 and MCF-7 cells respectively. And the 3R-tigogenin neoglycosides exhibited enhanced antitumor activity while the 3S-tigogenin almost showed no activity. Among the five cell lines, HepG2 and MCF-7 cells showed more sensitive cytotoxic responses to the products. Therefore, the neoglycosylation could be a promising strategy for the synthesis of antitumor steroidal saponins and it also proved the essential role of carbohydrate moiety of steroidal saponins in the biological activity.

The exposure-effect-toxicity correlation of docetaxel and magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate in non-small cell lung tumor-bearing mice.

To take full advantage of combination therapy of Docetaxel (DTX) and Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MGIG), the pharmacokinetic- pharmacodynamic- toxicodynamics (PK-PD-TD) interaction of DTX and MGIG in non-small cell lung tumor-bearing mice was investigated in the present study. A model, an integrated semi-mechanistic PK-PD-TD, was established for elucidating the exposure-effect-toxicity relationship between DTX and MGIG. A tumor growth and a transit compartmental system were applied to imitate the growth and death of tumor cell. An indirect model with precursor-dependence was induced to clarify the temporal relationship between liver injury and drug exposure. No PK interaction between DTX and MGIG in plasma, liver and tumor was observed. In PD and TD results, MGIG had no antitumoral activity on non-small cell lung carcinoma, while it showed a strong hepatoprotection on DTX-induced liver injury. The PK-PD parameters of anti-tumor effect were related with the tumor growth characteristics, the kinetics of the tumor death and drug potency. In the PK-TD model, it was estimated about the elevation rate of ALT after DTX challenge in hepatocytes as well as plasma. MGIG reduced the DTX-induced ALT release rate from hepatocyte efficiently. Based on parameters estimated via PK-PD-TD correlation, the model successfully predicted the tumor growth kinetics and hepatoprotection at different dose regimes. Therefore, this prospective model might provide an alternative approache to the optimization of new experiment design.

Rapid generation of a novel DPP-4 inhibitor with long-acting properties: SAR study and PK/PD evaluation.

Drug compliance is critical for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes. In our continuous effort to find better glucose-lowering agents, an exploration for long-acting DPP-4 inhibitors had been launched. Based on our previously reported compounds bearing a pyrrolopyrimidine scaffold, the lead compound 4a (IC50 = 2.3 nM, t1/2(rat) = 5.46 h) with pharmacokinetic superiority was rapidly determined. Further SAR study indicated that the pyrrole ring was generally tolerable for variation, in which a ß-substitution gave a better DPP-4 affinity. In depth evaluation of the pyrrole ring ß position identified a highly potent compound 12a (IC50 = 0.76 nM, t1/2(rat) = 7.89 h). In vivo pharmacodynamics tests demonstrated similar or even slightly better sustained DPP-4 inhibition for compounds 4a and 12a compared with the first marketed once-weekly drug trelagliptin in this category, indicating that improvements to DPP-4 inhibitory activity or pharmacokinetic profile might be feasible ways to rapidly generate long-acting DPP-4 inhibitors.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate blocks fructose-induced hepatic NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation and lipid metabolism disorder.

Magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate as a hepatoprotective agent possesses immune modulation and anti-inflammation, and treats liver diseases. But its effects on immunological-inflammatory and metabolic profiles for metabolic syndrome with liver injury and underlying potential mechanisms are not fully understood. In this study, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate alleviated liver inflammation and lipid accumulation in fructose-fed rats with metabolic syndrome. It also suppressed hepatic inflammatory signaling activation by reducing protein levels of phosphorylation of nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (p-NF-κB p65), inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-B kinase α/ß (p-IKKα/ß) and inhibitor of NF-κB α (p-IκBα) as well as nucleotide-binding domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC) and Caspase-1 in rats, being consistent with its reduction of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-6 levels. Furthermore, magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate modulated lipid metabolism-related genes characterized by up-regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPAR-α) and carnitine palmitoyl transferase-1 (CPT-1), and down-regulating sensor for fatty acids to control-1 (SREBP-1) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD-1) in the liver of fructose-fed rats, resulting in the reduction of triglyceride and total cholesterol levels. These effective actions were further confirmed in fructose-exposed BRL-3A and HepG2 cells. The molecular mechanisms underpinning these observations suggest that magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate may inhibit NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation to reduce immunological-inflammatory response, which in turn may prevent liver lipid metabolic disorder and accumulation under high fructose condition. Thus, blockade of NF-κB/NLRP3 inflammasome activation and lipid metabolism disorder by magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate may be the potential therapeutic approach for improving fructose-induced liver injury with metabolic syndrome in clinic.

Recent advances of thermally responsive nanogels for cancer therapy.

Thermally responsive nanogel drug delivery systems (TRNDDS) have been widely investigated as a new strategy for active targeting tumor therapy, as these can accumulate on the tumor site and/or release the payload at the desired site by structure changes rapidly once stimulated by temperature changes. In this review, we discuss the evolution of TRNDDS and future perspectives for antitumor drug and gene delivery. With further understanding of the specificity of tumor site at the cellular and molecular level, in parallel with the development of nanomaterial design and preparation, TRNDDS show great potential for tumor targeting therapy.

Investigation of dual-sensitive nanogels based on chitosan and N-isopropylacrylamide and its intelligent drug delivery of 10-hydroxycamptothecine.

The work was to prepare and characterize a responsive drug delivery system built of chitosan-g-poly (N-isopropylacrylamide) (CTS-g-PNIPAAm) nanogels and to evaluate the effects of CTS molecular weight (Mw) on the loading and in vitro release of insoluble drug 10-hydroxycamptothecine (HCPT). The CTS-g-PNIPAAm copolymers were synthesized by radical polymerization. The Mw and physical chemistry properties such as diameter, second virial coefficient of grafted PNIPAAm were investigated by dynamic and static laser light scattering method. A series of cross-linked CTS-g-PNIPAAm nanogels were prepared with N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide initially added as a cross-linker. The thermal and pH-sensitive features of cross-linked CTS-g-PNIPAAm nanogels were studied by determining the variance of transmittance, changeable size and reversed zeta potential. The critical aggregation concentrations (CAC) of resultant nanogels decreased from 0.045 to 0.036 mg/mL with CTS Mw increased from 50 kDa to 700 kDa. The loading efficiency of the HCPT encapsulated into CTS-g-PNIPAAm nanogels increased in parallel with CTS Mw, while the cumulative release percentage of HCPT-loaded nanogels decreased with CTS Mw increasing at both 25 °C and 37 °C. Fitting results of HCPT release data to different mathematical models suggested a diffusion-controlled mechanism at 25 °C. However, the release behaviors were dominated by combined effects of polymer erosion and osmotic pressure driven at 37 °C. The cytotoxicity study of the CTS-g-PNIPAAm nanogels against hepatic L02 cells indicated that the resultant nanogels did not exhibit apparent cytotoxicity.

Development of a thermally responsive nanogel based on chitosan-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylamide) for paclitaxel delivery.

A thermally responsive nanogel was developed through the radical polymerization based on chitosan (CTS) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) with acrylamide (AAm) blended to explore the possibility of increasing the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT). The thermally sensitive features of resultant nanogels were studied by determining variance of transmittance and changeable size. The VPTT of the CTS-poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm5.5) nanogel, coplymerized with 5.5% wt. AAm /wt. NIPAAm, was 38 °C in contrast to 32 °C of the CTS-poly(NIPAAm) polymer and the former was studied thereafter. The critical aggregation concentration of CTS-poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm5.5) nanogels was 1.11 µg/mL, much smaller than CTS-poly(NIPAAm) nanogels (5.00 µg/mL). Paclitaxel (PTX) was encapsulated in CTS-poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm5.5) nanogels with loading efficiency of about 9.06 ± 0.195% (n = 3). Thermally responsive PTX in vitro release fromPTX-loaded nanogels was verified. Coumarin-6-loaded nanogels showed thermally responsive cellular uptake because of electrostatic absorptive endocytosis. Furthermore, the half maximal inhibitory concentration of PTX-loaded nanogels was about 2.025 nmol/L, 10-fold improved relative to PTX solutions against SMMC 7721 cells. In vivo, PTX-loaded nanogels presented remarkably higher antitumor efficacy against human colon carcinoma cells HT-29 xenograft nude mice model after intravenous administration. Accordingly, our results reinforced the potential means of CTS-poly(NIPAAm-co-AAm5.5) nanogels for the combination of thermal therapy and chemotherapy.