Surface engineering of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications

• Published in: Polymer journal Vol. 46; no. 8; pp. 460 - 468
• Main Authors: Kobayashi, Kenya, Wei, Jinjian, Iida, Ryo, Ijiro, Kuniharu, Niikura, Kenichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.08.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 639/166/985; 639/301/357/354; 639/638/542; 639/925/352; Biocompatibility; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Bioorganic Chemistry; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; focus-review; In vivo testing; In vivo tests; Ligands; Medical services; Nanoparticles; Polymer Sciences; Surfaces and Interfaces; Surgical implants; Thin Films; surface ligand; nanoparticle assembly; gold nanoparticles; nanoparticle therapy
• ISSN: 0032-3896; 1349-0540
• DOI: 10.1038/pj.2014.40

Nanoparticles with a diameter of <100 nm are regarded as potential medical materials, as this size allows nanoparticles to circulate in vivo and possibly reach targeted tumors. Inorganic nanoparticles in particular are able to interact with light and/or magnetic fields, thus extending their potential applications to such fields as fluorescence labeling, magnetic resonance imaging and stimulus-responsive drug delivery that are essential to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. To facilitate their use in such applications, the appropriate design of surface ligands on these nanoparticles is necessary. The surface ligands determine the physicochemical properties of the surface, such as hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity and zeta potential as well as dispersibility in solution. These properties have an especially important role in determining nanoparticle–cell associations, such as cellular membrane permeability, immune responses and localization in vivo . This review focuses on recent advances in the surface engineering of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications. This review presents recent advances in the surface engineering of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) applicable for their therapeutic use, with a particular focus on the following three topics: (1) surface design for enhanced cellular uptake, (2) capsule-like assembly of AuNPs for drug delivery and (3) engineering of AuNPs as vaccine adjuvants. We discuss the importance of surface ligands in regulating and enhancing cell–nanoparticle interactions toward the creation of smart therapeutic nanomaterials.