Recent Advances in pH- or/and Photo-Responsive Nanovehicles

Abstract

The combination of nanotechnology and chemotherapy has resulted in more effective drug design via the development of nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) for tumor targeting. Stimulus-responsive DDSs in response to internal or external signals can offer precisely controlled delivery of preloaded therapeutics. Among the various DDSs, the photo-triggered system improves the efficacy and safety of treatment through spatiotemporal manipulation of light. Additionally, pH-induced delivery is one of the most widely studied strategies for targeting the acidic micro-environment of solid tumors. Accordingly, in this review, we discuss representative strategies for designing DDSs using light as an exogenous signal or pH as an endogenous trigger.

pH-Sensitive nanocarrier assisted delivery of adenosine to treat osteoporotic bone loss

“…[47][48][49] Paper Biomaterials Science Several pH-responsive chemical functional groups such as esters, carbonates, ketals, hydrazones, and imines have been utilized to deliver therapeutics. [50][51][52][53] In this study, we leveraged the acidic microenvironment of the osteoporotic bone tissue as a trigger to release adenosine from a nanocarrier.…”

Enhancing the therapeutic efficacy of nanoparticles for cancer treatment using versatile targeted strategies

“…In particular, acid-sensitive chemical bonds have been intensively investigated for pH-responsive nanocarriers, such as esters, imines, and hydrazine. These acid-sensitive bond-based nanoplatforms have been proven to be relatively stable in physiological environments but are easily broken via nucleophilic substitution reactions under acidic conditions [ 216 ]. Further, the acid-sensitive bonds can be directly conjugated to the therapeutic agents as labile groups in nanoparticles.…”

Physically stimulus-responsive nanoparticles for therapy and diagnosis

“…Light is one of the most powerful sources of exogenous stimuli and could be considered a safe treatment protocol ( Li Y. et al, 2021 ). On the other hand, photo-responsive agents could be diagnosed through well-known imaging techniques such as photoacoustic, photothermal, and NIR ( Shin et al, 2021 ). The intensity of photon sources could be easily tuned to visible, UV, and NIR by the sensitivity of therapeutic agents.…”