Light-sensitive lipid-based nanoparticles for drug delivery: design principles and future considerations for biological applications

Abstract

Radiation-based therapies aided by nanoparticles have been developed since decades, and can be primarily categorized into two main platforms. First, delivery of payload of photo-reactive drugs (photosensitizers) using the conventional nanoparticles, and second, design and development of photo-triggerable nanoparticles (primarily liposomes) to attain light-assisted on-demand drug delivery. The main focus of this review is to provide an update of the history, current status and future applications of photo-triggerable lipid-based nanoparticles (light-sensitive liposomes). We will begin with a brief overview on the applications of liposomes for delivery of photosensitizers, including the choice of photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy, as well as the currently available light sources (lasers) used for these applications. The main segment of this review will encompass the details on the strategies to develop photo-triggerable designer liposomes for their drug delivery function. The principles underlying the assembly of photoreactive lipids into nanoparticles (liposomes) and photo-triggering mechanisms will be presented. We will also discuss factors that limit the applications of these liposomes for in vivo triggered drug delivery and emerging concepts that may lead to the biologically viable photo-activation strategies. We will conclude with our view point on the future perspectives of light-sensitive liposomes in the clinic.

Chemophototherapy: An Emerging Treatment Option for Solid Tumors

“…Photosensitizers, when incorporated into nanoparticles, can sometimes be used to trigger release the encapsulated contents upon NIR irradiation 211, 212, 213. It has been demonstrated that liposomes incorporating porphyrin‐phospholipid (PoP) can be permeabilized by NIR light, releasing variable cargos such as Dox, calcein, sulforhodamine B, and gentamicin 208.…”

“…Most nanoparticles currently being used are successful by reducing side‐effects or as a means to solubilize hydrophobic drugs to induce fewer side effects 24. However, there has been significant preclinical work focused on developing new strategies for improving the delivery and efficacy of drugs using nanoparticles that are responsive to external stimuli such as heat,25, 26, 27, 28 light,29, 30, 31, 32, 33 ultrasound34 or tumor environment factors such as lower pH35, 36, 37, 38 or expression of certain enzymes 39, 40…”

Why not just switch on the light?: light and its versatile applications in the field of nanomedicine

“…Successful disruption of the vesicles could be demonstrated after irradiation with UV-light by electron microscopy and dynamic lights scattering data. The design of photocleavable liposomes for drug delivery using different photolabile groups has been reported in several publications (15,16) . Dvir et al presented a simple proof of concept by carboxylated polystyrene nanoparticles labeled with the unspecifi c amino acid sequence YIGSR, which adheres to β 1 integrins present on most cell surfaces (4,17) .…”

“…The caging groups are either covalently attached to the phosphate backbone or terminal phosphates or on the nucleotide bases to inhibit the further process of RNA induced silencing (Figure 2). The fi rst report of caged siRNA has been described by Shah et al using 1-(4, 5-dimethoxy-2-nitrophenyl)ethyl (DMNPE) attached to the phosphate backbone which only showed a 3 % caging effi ciency (15,16,24) . Caging of guanosine and thymidin bases by attaching 2-(2-nitrophenyl)propy (NPP) groups has been reported by Mikat and Heckel (25) .…”

Blue light potentiates neurogenesis induced by retinoic acid-loaded responsive nanoparticles

“…The use of nanocarriers that can be remotely disassembled to release RA with spatial and temporal resolution are of high therapeutic value [15,16]. Even if LR-NP distribute to other tissues, RA will be released only upon light stimulation, bypassing possible side effects [17].…”