Redox-Sensitive Smart Nanosystems for Drug and Gene Delivery

Title:Redox-Sensitive Smart Nanosystems for Drug and Gene Delivery

Volume: 20 Issue: 28

Author(s): Mahdi Karimi, Seyed M. Moosavi Basri, Manouchehr Vossoughi, Parvin S. Pakchin, Hamed Mirshekari and Michael R. Hamblin

Affiliation:

Keywords: Redox-Sensitive, glutathione, drug delivery, micelle, nanogel, polymersome, nanocapsule.

Abstract: Background: Smart stimulus-responsive nanocarriers represent a rapidly growing class of drug-delivery systems for cancer and other diseases.

Objective: The alterations of redox potential between the intracellular environment and the extracellular space have been widely utilized as a trigger for delivery of therapeutic agents by smart stimulus-responsive nanocarriers. We set out to review the scientific literature.

Method: Published papers between 1980 and the present day were surveyed.

Results: The advantages of redox-activated smart delivery of drugs, genes, and imaging agents include: the amplitude of the redox-responsive signal; the simple chemical features needed to trigger the activation process; and the relative simplicity of preparing these nanocarriers with an integrated redox-sensitive triggering element. Redox-sensitive nanovehicles are often sensitive to glutathione (GSH) as a regulator of cellular redox potential, which is a very important redox couple in mammalian cells. Other nanostructures can be designed to respond to oxidation, which may be useful for drug-delivery to sites with oxidative stress.

Conclusion: Redox-responsive nanocarriers are a prominent member of the class of smart nanocarriers, and are expected to grow importance in coming years.

Cite this article as:

Karimi Mahdi, Basri M. Moosavi Seyed, Vossoughi Manouchehr, Pakchin S. Parvin, Mirshekari Hamed and Hamblin R. Michael, Redox-Sensitive Smart Nanosystems for Drug and Gene Delivery, Current Organic Chemistry 2016; 20 (28) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1385272820666160510154557