In-situ immobilization of quantum dots in polysaccharide-based nanogels for integration of optical pH-sensing, tumor cell imaging, and drug delivery

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“…With the emerging field of polymer sciences it has now become inevitable to prepare smart nano-systems which can prove effective for treatment as well as clinical trials progress. Nevertheless, these systems have been investigated from a longer period of time for mak-ing advancements in synthetic procedures not only for active delivery but for miscellaneous agents like quantum dots, dyes and other diagnostic agents [5][6][7]. Traditionally in the name of gels we have heard of semisolid formulations with three dimensional network of organic systems en-compassing fluids and drugs.…”

Bio-Inspired/-Functional Colloidal Core-Shell Polymeric-Based NanoSystems: Technology Promise in Tissue Engineering, Bioimaging and NanoMedicine

“…In turn, this causes significant adverse side effects including acute hypersensitivity reactions, commonly reported with the use of Paclitaxel when delivered with Cremophor EL [116]. As described thus far, it has been also shown that nanoparticulate systems aid in reducing the adverse effects of chemotherapy in cancer studies [85][86][87]. These systems are made by forming drug-polymer complexes in which the drug is uniformly dispersed or by creating nano-scaled vesicular cores such as liposomes and micelles to entrap drug molecules [117,118].…”

“…Notably, polymericbased core-shell nanoparticles can serve as multifunctional therapeutic agents, instead of being utilized as simple passive carriers of drug cargo. Such ‗smart' or ‗intelligent' systems can potentially carry drugs to the target tissue, image those tissues and release the drug in response to a signal or upon reaching the appropriate cellular compartment [85][86][87]. Further, targeted nanotherapy may be achieved by coupling a specific antibody or a small molecular weight ligand (such as folic acid) to the surface of the nanoparticle that recognizes a protein selectively expressed on tumor cells [86,87].…”

“…While several different attempts have been made to minimize the toxic effects of most anti-cancer drugs, the unique properties of nanoparticles are being exploited for the treatment of tumors. They seem to help in reducing the devastating and adverse effects of chemotherapy [85][86][87]. Multifunctional nanoparticles that can (a) provide prolonged circulation times, (b) grant specific targeting and accumulation in tissues, (c) illuminate the targeted site and (d) intelligently (in terms of selectivity and mode) dose the pathological zones will enable major advancements in diagnosis and therapy.…”

“…Such ‗smart' or ‗intelligent' systems can potentially carry drugs to the target tissue, image those tissues and release the drug in response to a signal or upon reaching the appropriate cellular compartment [85][86][87]. Further, targeted nanotherapy may be achieved by coupling a specific antibody or a small molecular weight ligand (such as folic acid) to the surface of the nanoparticle that recognizes a protein selectively expressed on tumor cells [86,87]. To this end, magnetic iron oxide particles or polymeric-based nanotubes may be used as core nanostructures where imaging can be accomplished through MRI with iron oxide nanoparticles or fluorescence methods with QDs while targeting achieved by the functionalized shell.…”