A reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive polymer for safe, efficient, and targeted gene delivery in cancer cells

Exploiting developments in nanotechnology for the preferential delivery of platinum-based anti-cancer agents to tumours: targeting some of the hallmarks of cancer

Platinum drugs as anti-cancer therapeutics are held in extremely high regard. Despite their success, there are drawbacks associated with their use; their dose-limiting toxicity, their limited activity against an array of common cancers and patient resistance to Pt-based therapeutic regimes. Current investigations in medicinal inorganic chemistry strive to offset these shortcomings through selective targeting of Pt drugs and/or the development of Pt drugs with new or multiple modes of action. A comprehensive overview showcasing how liposomes, nanocapsules, polymers, dendrimers, nanoparticles and nanotubes may be employed as vehicles to selectively deliver cytotoxic Pt payloads to tumour cells is provided.

ROS-Responsive Mitochondria-Targeting Blended Nanoparticles: Chemo- and Photodynamic Synergistic Therapy for Lung Cancer with On-Demand Drug Release upon Irradiation with a Single Light Source

Mitochondria in cancer cells maintain a more negative membrane potential than normal cells. Mitochondria are the primary source of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are necessary for photodynamic therapy. Thus, the strategy of targeting mitochondria can maximize the photodynamic therapeutic efficiency for cancer. Here we report, for the first time, synthesis of a new mitochondria-targeting drug delivery system, ZnPc/CPT-TPPNPs. To synthesize this novel compound, polyethylene glycol was functionalized with thioketal linker-modified camptothecin (TL-CPT) and triphenylphosphonium to form the block copolymer, TL-CPT-PEG_1K-TPP. The ZnPc/CPT-TPPNPs was constructed for delivery of the photosensitizer Zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc) by blending the block copolymer TL-CPT-PEG_1K-TPP with 1, 2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-N-[methoxy (polyethylene glycol)] (DSPE-PEG).Triphenylphosphine can accumulate selectively several hundred-fold within mitochondria. The thioketal linker is ROS-responsive and CPT can be released upon ROS cleavage. We also show that the ZnPc loaded in ZnPc/CPT-TPPNPs absorbed the 633 nm laser to produce ROS, which could be utilized both in photodynamic therapy and to cleave the thioketal linker thereby releasing camptothecin for chemotherapy. Thus, the mitochondria-targeting nanoparticles could elevate photodynamic therapeutic efficacy. Our results showed that surface modification of the nanoparticles with triphenylphosphine cations facilitated efficient subcellular delivery of the photosensitizer to mitochondria. The nanoparticles had a good ROS-responsive effect to release CPT, which could transfer to the nucleus and interfere with DNA replication as a topoisomeraseⅠinhibitor. Thus, the blended nanoparticles provide a new promising approach as a mitochondria-targeting ROS-activated chemo- and photodynamic therapy with a single light source for lung cancer.

Hierarchical Targeting Strategy for Enhanced Tumor Tissue Accumulation/Retention and Cellular Internalization

Targeted delivery of therapeutic agents is an important way to improve the therapeutic index and reduce side effects. To design nanoparticles for targeted delivery, both enhanced tumor tissue accumulation/retention and enhanced cellular internalization should be considered simultaneously. So far, there have been very few nanoparticles with immutable structures that can achieve this goal efficiently. Hierarchical targeting, a novel targeting strategy based on stimuli responsiveness, shows good potential to enhance both tumor tissue accumulation/retention and cellular internalization. Here, the recent design and development of hierarchical targeting nanoplatforms, based on changeable particle sizes, switchable surface charges and activatable surface ligands, will be introduced. In general, the targeting moieties in these nanoplatforms are not activated during blood circulation for efficient tumor tissue accumulation, but re-activated by certain internal or external stimuli in the tumor microenvironment for enhanced cellular internalization.

ROS-responsive drug delivery systems

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role in signal transduction and metabolism. Over-produced ROS in cells or tissues, however, often leads to oxidation stress that has implications in a series of diseases including cancer, aging, atherosclerosis and inflammation. Driven by the need for on-demand drug delivery and fuelled by recent development of ROS-responsive materials and nanomedicine, responsive drug delivery systems (DDSs) have gained increasing research interest. ROS-responsive DDS is designed to release therapeutic agents only in targets of interest that produce excessive ROS, which may lead to both enhanced therapeutic efficiency and reduced side effects. Multiple-stimuli responsive DDSs that are also sensitive to other stimuli can further enhance controlled drug release in sites where multiple stimuli coexist. Beyond drug delivery, multifunctional DDSs have great potential in achieving simultaneous imaging, combinatorial therapy and targeting ability by introducing multifunctional elements such as signal reporter, targeting elements and photosensitizer. This review will summarize the latest development of ROS-responsive DDSs and discuss their design principle and biomedical applications.

A Reactive (1)O2 - Responsive Combined Treatment System of Photodynamic and Chemotherapy for Cancer

The development of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive drug delivery and drug release has gradually attracted much attention in recent years as a promising therapeutic strategy. Singlet oxygen (¹O₂) as the major ROS species is widely used in photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. In the present study, we introduce a combined treatment using ROS-sensitive thioketal (TK) linkage as a linker between upconversion nanoparticles (UNs)-based PDT and doxorubicin (DOX)-based chemotherapy. UNs can not only play a role in PDT, but can also be used as a nanocarrier for drug delivery of DOX. Moreover, the products of ¹O₂ during PDT are able to cleave TK linker inducing the release of DOX which can further achieve the goal of chemotherapy. By using this ¹O₂-responsive nanocarrier delivery system, DOX can easily reach the tumor site and be accumulated in the nuclei to effectively kill the cancer cells, and therefore decreasing the side effects of chemotherapy on the body. Thus, PDT also has the function of controlling drug release in this combination treatment strategy. Compared with monotherapy, the combination of PDT with chemotherapy also possesses excellent drug loading capability and anticancer efficiency.

Chemically Engineered Nanoparticle-Protein Interface for Real-Time Cellular Oxidative Stress Monitoring

A co-engineered nanoparticle/protein peroxide detector is created. This system features a gold nanoparticle functionalized with a galactose headgroup (AuNP-Gal) that reacts covalently with a boronate-modified green fluorescent protein (PB-GFP). Boronate acid-saccharide complexation between PB-GFP and AuNP-Gal affords a highly stable assembly. This complex is disrupted by peroxide, allowing quantitative and selective monitoring of hydrogen peroxide production in real time.

Physical, Chemical, and Biological Structures based on ROS-Sensitive Moieties that are Able to Respond to Oxidative Microenvironments

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) (H2 O2 , OCl(-) , (•) OH, O2 (-) ) are a family of reactive molecules that are generated intracellularly and are engaged in many biological processes. In physiological concentrations, ROS act as signaling molecules to a number of metabolic pathways; however, in excess they can be harmful to living organisms. Overproduction of ROS has been related to many pathophysiological conditions and a number of studies have been reported in elucidating their mechanism in these conditions. With the aim of harnessing this role, a number of imaging tools and therapeutic compounds have been developed. Here these imaging and therapeutic tools are reviewed and particularly those structures with ROS-sensitivity based on their biomedical applications and their functional groups. There is also a brief discussion about the method of preparation as well as the mechanism of action.

Development of a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive nanoplatform for targeted oral cancer therapy

In this study, for effective oral cancer therapy, a new targeted and ROS-triggered drug delivery nanoplatform was developed from the RGD-PEG-TK-PLGA polymer, in which the ROS-responsive TK containing linker was connected with PEG and PLGA. RGD in the drug delivery system (DDS) presented here was used to target cancer cells. This new nanoplatform shows high stability, good targeting ability, excellent ROS sensitivity and excellent biocompatibility. Loaded with DOX and alpha-TOS, the formulated nanoparticles (NPs) demonstrate much better cellular uptake efficiency and higher inhibition performance towards the oral tongue Cal27 cancer cell line. In vivo anticancer evaluation indicates that DOX and alpha-TOS loaded RGD-PEG-TK-PLGA NPs have no toxicity to mice and showed significantly improved therapeutic efficacy against tumors. Therefore, this polymeric NP platform presents great potential as a new DDS for oral cancer chemotherapy.

Light-Activated Hypoxia-Responsive Nanocarriers for Enhanced Anticancer Therapy

A light-activated hypoxia-responsive conjugated polymer-based nanocarrier is developed for efficiently producing singlet oxygen ((1) O2 ) and inducing hypoxia to promote release of its cargoes in tumor cells, leading to enhanced antitumor efficacy. This dual-responsive nanocarrier provides an innovative design guideline for enhancing traditional photodynamic therapeutic efficacy integrated with a controlled drug-release modality.

Fluorescent boronate-based polymer nanoparticles with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-triggered cargo release for drug-delivery applications

A new drug-delivery system of polymer nanoparticles (NPs) bearing pinacol-type boronic ester and alkyne moieties displaying triggered self-immolative polymer degradation in the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with the capability of cellular imaging is presented. The NPs specifically release their drug cargo under concentrations of ROS that are commonly found in the intracellular environment of certain tumors and of inflamed tissues and exhibit significant cytotoxicity to cancer cells compared to their non-ROS-responsive counterparts.

Programmed Nanococktail for Intracellular Cascade Reaction Regulating Self-Synergistic Tumor Targeting Therapy

In this work, a ZnO based nanococktail with programmed functions is designed and synthesized for self-synergistic tumor targeting therapy. The nanococktail can actively target tumors via specific interaction of hyaluronic acid (HA) with CD44 receptors and respond to HAase-rich tumor microenvironment to induce intracellular cascade reaction for controlled therapy. The exposed cell-penetrating peptide (R8) potentiates the cellular uptake of therapeutic nanoparticles into targeted tumor cells. Then ZnO cocktail will readily degrade in acidic endo/lysosomes and induce the production of desired reactive oxygen species (ROS) in situ. The destructive ROS not only leads to serious cell damage but also triggers the on-demand drug release for precise chemotherapy, thus achieving enhanced antitumor efficiency synergistically. After tail vein injection of ZnO cocktail, a favorable tumor apoptosis rate (71.2 ± 8.2%) is detected, which is significantly superior to that of free drug, doxorubicin (12.9 ± 5.2%). Both in vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that the tailor-made ZnO cocktail with favorable biocompatibility, promising tumor specificity, and self-synergistically therapeutic capacity opens new avenues for cancer therapy.

Near-Infrared Light Triggered ROS-activated Theranostic Platform based on Ce6-CPT-UCNPs for Simultaneous Fluorescence Imaging and Chemo-Photodynamic Combined Therapy

Many drug controlled release methods have been integrated in multifunctional nanoparticles, such as pH-, redox-, temperature-, enzyme-, and light-responsive release. However, few report is associated with the ROS responsive drug controlled release. Herein, a thioketal linker-based ROS responsive drug (camptothecin conjugated with thioketal linker, abbreviated as TL-CPT) was prepared and the thioketal linker could be cleaved by ROS(reactive oxygen species). To achieve cancer simultaneous optical imaging, photodynamic therapy and chemotherapy, the photosensitizer Chlorin e6(Ce6), TL-CPT and carboxyl-mPEG were loaded on the upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which were named as Ce6-CPT-UCNPs. Under 980 nm laser irradiation, Ce6-CPT-UCNPs emitted a narrow emission band at 645-675 nm which was overlapped with Ce6 absorption peak. Ce6 absorbed the light to produce ROS, which was used for photodynamic therapy and to cleave the thioketal linker in Ce6-CPT-UCNPs to release camptothecin for chemotherapy. Meanwhile, Ce6 absorbed the light, was used for near-infrared fluorescence imaging. The in vivo biodistribution studies showed that the prepared nanoparticles had high orthotopic lung cancer targeting efficiency. The in vivo therapeutic results demonstrated that NCI-H460 lung cancers could be completely eliminated by combining chemo- and photodynamic therapy under 980 nm laser irradiation. The prepared multifunctional Ce6-CPT-UCNPs have great potential in applications such as cancer targeted fluorescent imaging, simultaneous ROS activated chemo- and photodynamic therapy in near future.

Acid-Responsive Therapeutic Polymer for Prolonging Nanoparticle Circulation Lifetime and Destroying Drug-Resistant Tumors

How to destroy drug-resistant tumor cells remains an ongoing challenge for cancer treatment. We herein report on a therapeutic nanoparticle, aHLP-PDA, which has an acid-activated hemolytic polymer (aHLP) grafted onto photothermal polydopamine (PDA) nanosphere via boronate ester bond, in efforts to ablate drug-resistant tumors. Upon exposure to oxidative stress and/or near-infrared laser irradiation, aHLP-PDA nanoparticle responsively releases aHLP, likely via responsive cleavage of boronate ester bond, and thus responsively exhibits acid-facilitated mammalian-membrane-disruptive activity. In vitro cell studies with drug-resistant and/or thermo-tolerant cancer cells show that the aHLP-PDA nanoparticle demonstrates preferential cytotoxicity at acidic pH over physiological pH. When administered intravenously, the aHLP-PDA nanoparticle exhibits significantly prolonged blood circulation lifetime and enhanced tumor uptake compared to bare PDA nanosphere, likely owing to aHLP's stealth effects conferred by its zwitterionic nature at blood pH. As a result, the aHLP-PDA nanoparticle effectively ablates drug-resistant tumors, leading to 100% mouse survival even on the 32nd day after suspension of photothermal treatment, as demonstrated with the mouse model. This work suggests that a combination of nanotechnology with lessons learned in bacterial antibiotic resistance may offer a feasible and effective strategy for treating drug-resistant cancers often found in relapsing patients.

Lipase-catalyzed synthesis of oxidation-responsive poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(β-thioether ester) amphiphilic block copolymers

Lipase-catalyzed one-step synthesis of novel oxidation-responsive poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(β-thioether ester) diblock copolymers was reported.

Photomediated Reactive Oxygen Species-Generable Nanoparticles for Triggered Release and Endo/Lysosomal Escape of Drug upon Attenuated Single Light Irradiation

Nanoparticles with "smart" stimuli-responsive materials and multiple therapeutic strategies in a single delivery platform have emerged for highly efficient cancer therapy. Here, photomediated reactive oxygen species (ROS)-generable nanoparticles are designed that can trigger drug release and endo/lysosomal escape upon attenuated single light irradiation, simultaneously, for synergistic chemo-photodynamic ablation. In this study, the self-ROS-generable nanoparticles (SRNs) are prepared from the polymer based on polysaccharide, chlorin e6 as ROS generator and lipoic acid as ROS scavenger covalently conjugated pullulan with anticancer drug (doxorubicin, DOX) through self-assembly, and can disassemble via the ROS-mediated reduction of lipoyl group in response to low level exogenous single light switch. After cellular internalization in hepatic cancer through asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR, as pullulan receptor)-mediated endocytosis, once irradiated, SRNs are able to produce ROS that can simultaneously induce drug release triggering and endo/lysosomal escape of DOX into cytoplasm as well as directly photodynamic therapy for highly efficient chemo-photodynamic cancer therapy. This promising delivery system, which has huge potential in biomedical applications, may be optimal for smart delivery platform.

Electrochemical examination of ability of dsDNA/PAM composites for storing and releasing of doxorubicin

Composites consisting of ss- and ds-DNA strands and polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel have been synthesized. DNA was entrapped non-covalently. The obtained DNA biomaterial exhibited a strong increase in guanine and adenine anodic currents when temperature reached the physiological level. This increase was related to the unique oligonucleotide structural changes in the composite. The structural alterations in the PAM lattices were employed for the release of the drug accumulated in the composite. Doxorubicin (Dox) was selected as the drug; it was accumulated by intercalation to dsDNA and was slowly released from the dsDNA/PAM system by using a minor temperature increase (up to 40÷45 °C) as it is routinely done in hyperthermia. The applied release temperature was either constant or oscillating. The binding strength, the rate of Dox release and the properties of the composite were examined using voltammetry, SEM and ICP-MS.

Oligoproline-derived nanocarrier for dual stimuli-responsive gene delivery

Gene therapy is a promising method for the treatment of vascular disease; however, successful strategies depend on the development of safe and effective delivery technologies with specific targeting to a diseased point of vasculature. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are overproduced by vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) at critical stages of atherosclerosis progression. Therefore, ROS were exploited as a stimulus for vascular targeted gene delivery in this study. A combination of bio-conjugation methods and controlled reverse addition-fragmentation chain-trasfer (RAFT) polymerization was utilized to synthesize a new ROS-cleavable, pH-responsive mPEG113-b-CP5K-b-PDMAEMA42-b-P(DMAEMA22-co-BMA40-co-PAA24) (PPDDBP) polymer as a nanocarrier for plasmid DNA (pDNA) delivery. The ros degradability of PPDDBP polymers was confirmed by SIN-1-mediated cleavage of CP5K peptide linkers through a shift in GPC chromatogram with an appearance of mPEG shoulder peak and an increase in zeta potential (ζ). The polyplex nanocarrier also demonstrated effective PDNA loading, serum stability, and hemocompatibility, indicating its excellent performance under physiological conditions. The polyplexes demonstrated ideal pH responsiveness for endosomal escape and effective ROS responsiveness for improved targeting in an in vitro model of pathogenic VSMCs in terms of both uptake and expression of reporter gene. These data suggest this novel nanocarrier polyplex system is a promising gene delivery tool for preventing or treating areas of high ROS, such as atherosclerotic lesions.

Preparation and biomedical applications of programmable and multifunctional DNA nanoflowers

We describe a comprehensive protocol for the preparation of multifunctional DNA nanostructures termed nanoflowers (NFs), which are self-assembled from long DNA building blocks generated via rolling-circle replication (RCR) of a designed template. NF assembly is driven by liquid crystallization and dense packaging of building blocks, which eliminates the need for conventional Watson-Crick base pairing. As a result of dense DNA packaging, NFs are resistant to nuclease degradation, denaturation or dissociation at extremely low concentrations. By manually changing the template sequence, many different functional moieties including aptamers, bioimaging agents and drug-loading sites could be easily integrated into NF particles, making NFs ideal candidates for a variety of applications in biomedicine. In this protocol, the preparation of multifunctional DNA NFs with highly tunable sizes is described for applications in cell targeting, intracellular imaging and drug delivery. Preparation and characterization of functional DNA NFs takes ∼5 d; the following biomedical applications take ∼10 d.

Reactive oxygen species-activated nanomaterials as theranostic agents

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated from the endogenous oxidative metabolism or from exogenous pro-oxidant exposure. Oxidative stress occurs when there is excessive production of ROS, outweighing the antioxidant defense mechanisms which may lead to disease states. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is one of the most abundant and stable forms of ROS, implicated in inflammation, cellular dysfunction and apoptosis, which ultimately lead to tissue and organ damage. This review is an overview of the role of ROS in different diseases. We will also examine ROS-activated nanomaterials with emphasis on hydrogen peroxide, and their potential medical implications. Further development of the biocompatible, stimuli-activated agent responding to disease causing oxidative stress, may lead to a promising clinical use.

Synthesis of a reactive oxygen species responsive heterobifunctional thioketal linker

A new heterobifunctional reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsive thioketal linker and its synthesis are described. This linker allows for developing new ROS-responsive agents with two distinct functionalities using universal bioconjugation methods. The reaction kinetics of the thioketal cleavage in the presence of ROS is also described.

Trigger responsive polymeric nanocarriers for cancer therapy

Conventional chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer has limited specificity when administered systemically and is often associated with toxicity issues. Enhanced accumulation of polymeric nanocarriers at a tumor site may be achieved by passive and active targeting. Incorporation of trigger responsiveness into these polymeric nanocarriers improves the anticancer efficacy of such systems by modulating the release of the drug according to the tumor environment. Triggers used for tumor targeting include internal triggers such as pH, redox and enzymes and external triggers such as temperature, magnetic field, ultrasound and light. While internal triggers are specific cues of the tumor microenvironment, external triggers are those which are applied externally to control the release. This review highlights the various strategies employed for the preparation of such trigger responsive polymeric nanocarriers for cancer therapy and provides an overview of the state of the art in this field.

ATP-responsive DNA-graphene hybrid nanoaggregates for anticancer drug delivery

Stimuli-triggered drug delivery systems are primarily focused on the applications of the tumor microenvironmental or cellular physiological cues to enhance the release of drugs at the target site. In this study, we applied adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP), the primary "energy molecule", as a trigger for enhanced release of preloaded drugs responding to the intracellular ATP concentration that is significantly higher than the extracellular level. A new ATP-responsive anticancer drug delivery strategy utilizing DNA-graphene crosslinked hybrid nanoaggregates as carriers was developed for controlled release of doxorubicin (DOX), which consists of graphene oxide (GO), two single-stranded DNA (ssDNA, denoted as DNA1 and DNA2) and ATP aptamer. The single-stranded DNA1 and DNA2 together with the ATP aptamer serve as the linkers upon hybridization for controlled assembly of the DNA-GO nanoaggregates, which effectively inhibited the release of DOX from the GO nanosheets. In the presence of ATP, the responsive formation of the ATP/ATP aptamer complex causes the dissociation of the aggregates, which promoted the release of DOX in the environment with a high ATP concentration such as cytosol compared with that in the ATP-deficient extracellular fluid. This supports the development of a novel ATP-responsive platform for targeted on-demand delivery of anticancer drugs inside specific cells.

Ultra-sensitive ROS-responsive tellurium-containing polymers

Tellurium-containing polymer micelles are responsive to 100 μM H₂O₂ or 2 Gy gamma radiation, enabling the development of ultra-sensitive ROS-eliminating materials.

Reactive oxygen species-responsive protein modification and its intracellular delivery for targeted cancer therapy

Herein we report a convenient chemical approach to reversibly modulate protein (RNase A) function and develop a protein that is responsive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) for targeted cancer therapy. The conjugation of RNase A with 4-nitrophenyl 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl) benzyl carbonate (NBC) blocks protein lysine and temporarily deactivates the protein. However, the treatment of RNase A-NBC with hydrogen peroxide (one major intracellular ROS) efficiently cleaves the NBC conjugation and restores the RNase A activity. Thus, RNase A-NBC can be reactivated inside tumor cells by high levels of intracellular ROS, thereby restoring the cytotoxicity of RNase A for cancer therapy. Due to higher ROS levels inside tumor cells compared to healthy cells, and the resulting different levels of RNase A-NBC reactivation, RNase A-NBC shows a significant specific cytotoxicity against tumor cells.

Exploiting oxidative microenvironments in the body as triggers for drug delivery systems

SIGNIFICANCE

Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) play an important role in cell signaling pathways. However, the increased production of these species may disrupt cellular homeostasis, giving rise to pathological conditions. Biomaterials that are responsive to ROS/RNS can be strategically used to specifically release therapeutics and diagnostic agents to regions undergoing oxidative stress.

RECENT ADVANCES

Many nanocarriers intended to exploit redox micro-environments as triggers for drug release, summarized and compared in this review, have recently been developed. We describe these carriers' chemical structures, strategies for payload protection and oxidation-selective release, and ROS/RNS sensitivity as tested in initial studies.

CRITICAL ISSUES

ROS/RNS are unstable, so reliable measures of their concentrations in various conditions are scarce. Combined with the dearth of materials shown to respond to physiologically relevant levels of ROS/RNS, evaluations of their true sensitivity are difficult.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Oxidation-responsive nanocarriers developed thus far show tremendous potential for applicability in vivo; however, the sensitivity of these chemistries needs to be fine tuned to enable responses to physiological levels of ROS and RNS.

Stimuli-Responsive Materials for Controlled Release of Theranostic Agents

Stimuli-responsive materials are so named because they can alter their physicochemical properties and/or structural conformations in response to specific stimuli. The stimuli can be internal, such as physiological or pathological variations in the target cells/tissues, or external, such as optical and ultrasound radiations. In recent years, these materials have gained increasing interest in biomedical applications due to their potential for spatially and temporally controlled release of theranostic agents in response to the specific stimuli. This article highlights several recent advances in the development of such materials, with a focus on their molecular designs and formulations. The future of stimuli-responsive materials will also be explored, including combination with molecular imaging probes and targeting moieties, which could enable simultaneous diagnosis and treatment of a specific disease, as well as multi-functionality and responsiveness to multiple stimuli, all important in overcoming intrinsic biological barriers and increasing clinical viability.

Enhanced anticancer efficacy by ATP-mediated liposomal drug delivery

A liposome-based co-delivery system composed of a fusogenic liposome encapsulating ATP-responsive elements with chemotherapeutics and a liposome containing ATP was developed for ATP-mediated drug release triggered by liposomal fusion. The fusogenic liposome had a protein-DNA complex core containing an ATP-responsive DNA scaffold with doxorubicin (DOX) and could release DOX through a conformational change from the duplex to the aptamer/ATP complex in the presence of ATP. A cell-penetrating peptide-modified fusogenic liposomal membrane was coated on the core, which had an acid-triggered fusogenic potential with the ATP-loaded liposomes or endosomes/lysosomes. Directly delivering extrinsic liposomal ATP promoted the drug release from the fusogenic liposome in the acidic intracellular compartments upon a pH-sensitive membrane fusion and anticancer efficacy was enhanced both in vitro and in vivo.

A porous tissue engineering scaffold selectively degraded by cell-generated reactive oxygen species

Biodegradable tissue engineering scaffolds are commonly fabricated from poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) or similar polyesters that degrade by hydrolysis. PLGA hydrolysis generates acidic breakdown products that trigger an accelerated, autocatalytic degradation mechanism that can create mismatched rates of biomaterial breakdown and tissue formation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key mediators of cell function in both health and disease, especially at sites of inflammation and tissue healing, and induction of inflammation and ROS are natural components of the in vivo response to biomaterial implantation. Thus, polymeric biomaterials that are selectively degraded by cell-generated ROS may have potential for creating tissue engineering scaffolds with better matched rates of tissue in-growth and cell-mediated scaffold biodegradation. To explore this approach, a series of poly(thioketal) (PTK) urethane (PTK-UR) biomaterial scaffolds were synthesized that degrade specifically by an ROS-dependent mechanism. PTK-UR scaffolds had significantly higher compressive moduli than analogous poly(ester urethane) (PEUR) scaffolds formed from hydrolytically-degradable ester-based diols (p < 0.05). Unlike PEUR scaffolds, the PTK-UR scaffolds were stable under aqueous conditions out to 25 weeks but were selectively degraded by ROS, indicating that their biodegradation would be exclusively cell-mediated. The in vitro oxidative degradation rates of the PTK-URs followed first-order degradation kinetics, were significantly dependent on PTK composition (p < 0.05), and correlated to ROS concentration. In subcutaneous rat wounds, PTK-UR scaffolds supported cellular infiltration and granulation tissue formation, followed first-order degradation kinetics over 7 weeks, and produced significantly greater stenting of subcutaneous wounds compared to PEUR scaffolds. These combined results indicate that ROS-degradable PTK-UR tissue engineering scaffolds have significant advantages over analogous polyester-based biomaterials and provide a robust, cell-degradable substrate for guiding new tissue formation.

An H2O2-responsive nanocarrier for dual-release of platinum anticancer drugs and O2: controlled release and enhanced cytotoxicity against cisplatin resistant cancer cells

Synergistic release of platinum anticancer drugs and O₂ can be achieved in an H₂O₂-responsive nanocarrier incorporated with catalase. Such a system combines the advantages of chemotherapy and oxygen therapy and demonstrated improved therapeutic efficacy against cisplatin resistant cell lines which often appear to be in hypoxia.

Oxidation-responsive polymers for biomedical applications

This article summarizes recent progress in the design and synthesis of various oxidation-responsive polymers and their application in biomedical fields.