Designing supramolecular self-assembly nanomaterials as stimuli-responsive drug delivery platforms for cancer therapy.

Abstract

Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials have attracted substantial interest in cancer therapy, as they hold promise to deliver anticancer agents to tumor sites in a precise and on-demand manner. Interestingly, supramolecular chemistry is a burgeoning discipline that entails the reversible bonding between components at the molecular and nanoscale levels, and the recent advances in this area offer the possibility to design nanotherapeutics with improved controllability and functionality for cancer therapy. Herein, we provide a comprehensive summary of typical non-covalent interaction modes, which primarily include hydrophobic interaction, hydrogel bonding, host-guest interaction, π-π stacking, and electrostatic interaction. Special emphasis is placed on the implications of these interaction modes to design novel stimuli-responsive drug delivery principles and concepts, aiming to enhance the spatial, temporal, and dosage precision of drug delivery to cancer cells. Finally, future perspectives are discussed to highlight current challenges and future opportunities in self-assembly-based stimuli-responsive drug delivery nanotechnologies for cancer therapy.