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Stimuli-responsive nanotherapeutics for precision drug delivery and cancer therapy
Yiting Qiao1, Jianqin Wan1,2, Liqian Zhou1
1The First Affiliated Hospital; Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases; Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-Organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Cancer remains one of the world's leading causes of death. However, most conventional chemotherapeutic drugs only show a narrow therapeutic window in patients because of their inability to discriminate cancer cells from healthy cells. Nanoparticle-based therapeutics (termed nanotherapeutics) have emerged as potential solutions to mitigate many obstacles posed by these free drugs. Deep insights into knowledge of the tumor microenvironment and materials science make it possible to construct nanotherapeutics that are able to release cargoes in response to a variety of internal stimuli and external triggers. Therefore, such highly sophisticated nanosystems could help impede the premature release of toxic drugs in the blood circulation or healthy tissues, thus enhancing the safety profiles of encapsulated drugs. In this context, this review offers a comprehensive overview of several specific stimuli, including internal stimuli (e.g., pH, temperature, enzyme, redox, and H2 O2 ) and external stimuli (e.g., magnetic, photo, and ultrasound). We envision that applications of these smart nanotherapeutics can benefit cancer patients and provide a good chance for clinical translation of many nanoparticle formulas. This article is categorized under: Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease Diagnostic Tools > Diagnostic Nanodevices Diagnostic Tools > in vitro Nanoparticle-Based Sensing.
Insights
Smart nanotherapeutics offer improved cancer treatment by releasing drugs only at the tumor site. This review details stimuli-responsive nanoparticles, enhancing drug safety and efficacy for cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Materials Science
- Nanomedicine
Background:
- Conventional chemotherapy has a narrow therapeutic window due to its inability to distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells.
- Nanoparticle-based therapeutics (nanotherapeutics) present a promising approach to overcome limitations of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs.
- Advancements in understanding the tumor microenvironment and materials science enable the development of sophisticated nanocarrier systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of stimuli-responsive nanotherapeutics for cancer treatment.
- To explore internal and external triggers that can activate drug release from nanocarriers.
- To highlight the potential of nanotherapeutics in improving cancer patient outcomes and clinical translation.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on stimuli-responsive nanotherapeutics.
- Categorization of stimuli into internal (pH, temperature, enzyme, redox, H2O2) and external (magnetic, photo, ultrasound) triggers.
- Analysis of nanotherapeutic design principles for targeted drug delivery in cancer.
Main Results:
- Nanotherapeutics can be engineered to release drugs in response to specific internal or external stimuli present in the tumor microenvironment.
- Stimuli-responsive systems prevent premature drug release in circulation, thereby enhancing drug safety profiles.
- The targeted delivery and controlled release mechanisms of nanotherapeutics offer potential for improved therapeutic efficacy.
Conclusions:
- Smart nanotherapeutics hold significant promise for advancing cancer treatment by improving drug specificity and reducing side effects.
- The clinical translation of nanoparticle-based cancer therapies can be accelerated through the development of stimuli-responsive systems.
- Further research into stimuli-responsive nanomedicine is crucial for realizing the full potential of nanotherapeutics in oncology.
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