Recent Advances of pH‐Induced Charge‐Convertible Polymer‐Mediated Inorganic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

The incorporation of functional polymers and inorganic nanoparticles into nanoplatforms has the potential to produce personalized nanomedicine systems for further biomedical applications. Polymers that endow inorganic nanoparticles with unique surface properties for prolonged blood circulation and improved tumor targeting and cellular uptake are especially desired. pH‐induced charge‐switchable polymers are sensitive to the pH of the tumor environment and maintain a negative or neutral charge in blood circulation, increasing their circulation time and enhancing tumor accumulation via the enhanced permeability and retention effect. This type of polymer further transforms its charge to positive in acidic tumor locations to promote cellular uptake. Furthermore, the combination of pH‐induced charge‐switchable polymers with various inorganic nanoparticles (e.g., magnetic nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, and upconversion materials) activates their intrinsic functions in in situ diagnosis and disease therapy. This review briefly overviews the recent progress in the development and application of various pH‐induced charge‐convertible polymers functionalized with different types of inorganic nanoparticles for different biomedical applications. More importantly, future developments in this field are also discussed.

Embracing nanomaterials' interactions with the innate immune system

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Recent Developments in Pathological pH-Responsive Polymeric Nanobiosensors for Cancer Theranostics

“…Imaging of heterogeneous tumors is essential for early detection, diagnoses, and precise treatment monitoring. The unique acidic characteristic of tumors enables the design of PNBS with a pH-responsive amplification of the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio during tumor-specific imaging Yang et al, 2020). Thus far, numerous pH-responsive smart PNBS have been reported for in vivo cancer imaging using techniques such as MRI, PAI, FI, and USI Liu et al, 2017).…”

What’s Next after Lipid Nanoparticles? A Perspective on Enablers of Nucleic Acid Therapeutics

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