Stimuli-Responsive Polymeric Nanocarriers as Promising Drug and Gene Delivery Systems

Abstract

Polymeric nanocarriers have emerged as promising drug delivery vehicles owing to their potential to selectively deliver the active agents to the disease sites through various targeting mechanisms, while minimizing the side effects. To realize more enhanced therapeutic effect, it is also highly essential to impart specific release mechanism into the nanocarriers in addition to the targeting capabilities. In this regard, stimuli-sensitive or smart polymeric nanocarriers that are responsive to inherent (e.g. pH, temperature, redox, hypoxia, enzymes, and reactive oxygen species) or external stimuli (e.g. light, ultrasound or magnetic) have received enormous attention because of their ability to control the drug release profile in a desirable fashion at the target site of action. The primary focus of this chapter is to highlight the recent advances of various stimuli-responsive nanocarriers that have been developed for a more efficient drug and gene delivery.

Temperature-Responsive Smart Nanocarriers for Delivery Of Therapeutic Agents: Applications and Recent Advances

“…As mentioned above, there are only a few reports of polymers that display a UCST, therefore this review mainly focuses on polymers, which display a LCST. 74–77 …”

Stimuli-responsive nanocarriers for intracellular delivery

“…Polymeric NPs which are photoresponsive in the ultraviolet (UV), visible and near-infrared (NIR) regions have been extensively studied for drug delivery applications. Light in the NIR region is important for biomedical applications since NIR radiation penetrates deep into tissues, ranging from millimeter to centimeters, and is less damaging to the biological system than UV light (Saravanakumar and Kim 2014). Some of the strategies used by researchers for designing light-sensitive nanocarriers involve the proper selection of photochromic functional groups on block copolymers which can shift the hydrophilic-hydrophobic balance in their micellar structure upon exposure to different wavelengths of light (Babin et al 2009;Zhao 2012).…”

Bioreducible poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)–PLA–PEI-SS triblock copolymer micelles for co-delivery of DNA minicircles and Doxorubicin

“…Despite these improvements in both nanocarriers and DNA vectors, it has been demonstrated that imprinting stimuli-responsive properties in nanoformulations designed for co-delivery may provide an added biological efficacy since a more controlled biodegradation and sitespecific, on-demand release can be promoted [17]. To date, various types of stimuli such as pH, redox conditions, enzymes, magnetic fields, ultrasound or light have been explored for promoting modifications in nanocarrier structure in biological environment.…”