Thermosensitive hydrogels are smart materials that undergo sol-gel phase transitions in response to body temperature, exhibiting excellent injectability and biocompatibility. This review systematically summarizes the research progress on their applications in the gastrointestinal tract, mainly focusing on drug delivery and endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) assistance. In terms of drug delivery, compared with conventional carriers such as nanoparticles and liposomes, thermosensitive hydrogels offer prolonged mucosal retention time, better stability, and more controllable drug release properties, and can be administered orally or locally for treating oral ulcers, gastric ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease, and gastrointestinal tumors. In ESD procedures, thermosensitive hydrogels serve as submucosal cushions to effectively elevate lesions and prevent thermal injury, while also facilitating postoperative wound closure, hemostasis, and healing promotion. This review also discusses optimization strategies and challenges in clinical translation for thermosensitive hydrogels, and provides perspectives on future development trends, aiming to provide references for their further application in gastrointestinal disease treatment.
