Recent advances of bioresponsive polymeric nanomedicine for cancer therapy
Tu Hong, Xinyuan Shen, Madiha Zahra Syeda, Yang Zhang, Hao Nan Sheng, Yipeng Zhou, Jinming Xu, Chaojie Zhu, Hongjun Li, Zhen Gu, Longguang Tang
Abstract
A bioresponsive polymeric nanocarrier for drug delivery is able to alter its physical and physicochemical properties in response to a variety of biological signals and pathological changes, and can exert its therapeutic efficacy within a confined space. These nanosystems can optimize the biodistribution and subcellular location of therapeutics by exploiting the differences in biochemical properties between tumors and normal tissues. Moreover, bioresponsive polymer-based nanosystems could be rationally designed as precision therapeutic platforms by optimizing the combination of responsive elements and therapeutic components according to the patient-specific disease type and stage. In this review, recent advances in smart bioresponsive polymeric nanosystems for cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy will be summarized. We mainly discuss three categories, including acidity-sensitive, redox-responsive, and enzyme-triggered polymeric nanosystems. The important issues regarding clinical translation such as reproducibility, manufacture, and probable toxicity, are also commented.