Photoactivatable Protherapeutic Nanomedicine for Cancer

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 32; no. 34; pp. e2002661 - n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yan, Xu, Cheng, Yang, Xiangliang, Pu, Kanyi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.08.2020
• Subjects: Biomarkers; Cancer; cancer therapy; Controlled release; High temperature effects; nanoparticles; Pharmaceuticals; photoactivatable nanomedicines; Photochemical reactions; phototherapy; protherapeutics; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202002661

Therapeutic systems with site‐specific pharmaceutical activation hold great promise to enhance therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity in cancer therapy. With operational flexibility, noninvasiveness, and high spatiotemporal resolution, photoactivatable nanomedicines have drawn growing attention. Distinct from traditional controlled release systems relying on the difference of biomarker concentrations between disease and healthy tissues, photoactivatable nanomedicines capitalize on the interaction between nanotransducers and light to either trigger photochemical reactions or generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) or heat effect to remotely induce pharmaceutical actions in living subjects. Herein, the recent advances in the development of photoactivatable protherapeutic nanoagents for oncology are summarized. The design strategies and therapeutic applications of these nanoagents are described. Representative examples of each type are discussed in terms of structure, photoactivation mechanism, and preclinical models. Last, potential challenges and perspectives to further develop photoactivatable protherapeutic nanoagents in cancer nanomedicine are discussed. The recent progress of photoactivatable protherapeutic nanoagents in cancer therapy is reviewed. Protherapeutic nanoagents are defined as having the ability to respond to light, reactive oxygen species, or heat modulated by nanotransducers upon light irradiation, and subsequently activate the pharmaceutical actions. Such an in situ activation mechanism holds the potential to enhance therapeutic efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity of nanomedicines.