Redox‐Responsive Self‐Assembled Nanoparticles for Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Chemotherapy, combined with other treatments, is widely applied in the clinical treatment of cancer. However, deficiencies inherited from the traditional route of administration limit its successful application. With the development of nanotechnology, a series of smart nanodelivery systems have been developed to utilize the unique tumor environment (pH changes, different enzymes, and redox potential gradients) and exogenous stimuli (thermal changes, magnetic fields, and light) to improve the curative effect of anticancer drugs. In this review, endogenous and exogenous stimuli are briefly introduced. Among these stimuli, various redox-sensitive linkages are primarily described in detail, and their application with self-assembled nanoparticles is recounted. Finally, the application of redox-responsive self-assembled nanoparticles in cancer therapy is summarized.

Rosuvastatin Nanomicelles Target Neuroinflammation and Improve Neurological Deficit in a Mouse Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

“…13,14 In this regard, the nano-drug delivery system has great promise as it effectively extends the half-life of the drug's cycle and allows for the administration of lower doses and at a lower frequency to minimize toxicity. [15][16][17] Specifically, polymeric nanomicelles that self-assemble from copolymers composed of a hydrophilic shell and a hydrophobic core are good candidates for poorly water-soluble or hydrophobic drugs where the drugs stay in the core and the hydrophilic shell provides a stabilizing interface between the core and the outside aqueous environment. [18][19][20] For instance, poly (ethylene glycol)-block-poly (ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL) copolymers have been widely used in a nano-drug delivery system, since they are biocompatible, nontoxic, and not accumulative in vivo because the degradation products of the copolymers can enter the tricarboxylic acid cycle or be eliminated by the kidney, and therefore the nanomicelles formed from the PEG-PCL copolymers have attracted more and more interesting in various drug delivery system.…”

Stimuli-responsive cyclodextrin-based supramolecular assemblies as drug carriers

“…The redox systems, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH), differ between extracellular and intracellular environments, and between healthy and pathological tissues. 57,58 ROS include singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ), superoxide anions (O 2 À ), hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ), and hydroxyl radicals ( OH). [59][60][61] The ROS produced by mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and NADPH oxidase are critical in numerous physiological processes, which include cell signaling and innate immunity.…”

Smart nanomaterials for cancer diagnosis and treatment

“…The differing ROS and the GSH concentrations can provide an altered redox condition in the cancerous cells. Generally, in cancer cells the GSH produced is about 2 × 10 –3 –10 × 10 –3 M while it is ~ 1000 fold lower extracellularly (2 × 10 –3 –20 × 10 –6 M), wherein the ROS provides excellent selectivity for the release of the cargo [ 269 ]. Contrarily, the antioxidant transcription factors such as Nrf2 is found to be important for maintaining tumorigenesis [ 270 ].…”