Size-transformable nanotherapeutics for cancer therapy
Teng Ma, Tuyen Ba Tran, Ethan Lin, Stephanie Hunt, Riley Haveman, Kate Castro, Jianqin Lu
Abstract
The size of nanodrugs plays a crucial role in shaping their chemical and physical characteristics, consequently influencing their therapeutic and diagnostic interactions within biological systems. The optimal size of nanomedicines, whether small or large, offers distinct advantages in disease treatment, creating a dilemma in the selection process. Addressing this challenge, size-transformable nanodrugs have surfaced as a promising solution, as they can be tailored to entail the benefits associated with both small and large nanoparticles. In this review, various strategies are summarized for constructing size-transformable nanosystems with a focus on nanotherapeutic applications in the field of biomedicine. Particularly we highlight recent research developments in cancer therapy. This review aims to inspire researchers to further develop various toolboxes for fabricating size-transformable nanomedicines for improved intervention against diverse human diseases. This review comprehensively summarizes and discusses 4 subcategories including self-assembly strategy, disassemble strategy, aggregation strategy, and degradation strategy of nanomedicine size-transformation in cancer therapy.