Recent Developments in Nanomaterial‐Based Shear‐Sensitive Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

Nanomaterial‐based drug delivery systems (DDSs) increase the efficacy of various therapeutics, and shear stress has been shown to be a robust modulator of payload release. In the past few decades, a deeper understanding has been gained of the effects of flow in the body and its alteration in pathological microenvironments. More recently, shear‐responsive nanomaterial DDSs have been developed. Studies on this subject mainly from the last decade are reviewed here, focusing on innovations of the material design and mechanisms of the shear response. The two most popular shear‐controlled drug carriers distinguished by different release mechanisms, that is, shear‐deformable nanoparticles (NPs) and shear‐dissociated NP aggregates (NPAs), are surveyed. The influence of material structures on their properties such as drug loading, circulation time, and shear sensitivity are discussed. The drug development stages, therapeutic effects, limitations, and potential of these DDSs are further inspected. The reviewed research emphasizes the advantages and significance of nanomaterial‐based shear‐sensitive DDSs in the field of targeted drug delivery. It is also believed that efforts to rationally design nanomaterial DDSs responsive to shear may prompt a new class of diagnostics and therapeutics for signaling and rectifying pathological flows in the body.

Influence of Elasticity of Hydrogel Nanoparticles on Their Tumor Delivery

“…The shearing of blood flow affects the uptake of NPs by cells in vivo. [ 17 ] Therefore, using a microfluidic system to construct in vitro experiments under flow conditions may help better evaluate the biological properties of NPs. We incubated HUVECs on microfluidic chips and studied the uptake of different HNPs under flow conditions at a shear rate of 300 s –1 (Figure 2b , Figure S14 , Supporting Information).…”

Single and Multiple Stimuli-Responsive Polymer Particles for Controlled Drug Delivery

“…Shear stress is commonly used as a diagnostic tool for cardiovascular diseases. Normal shear stress in arteries is 10-70 dyn cm −2 and 1-6 dyn cm −2 in veins, while for cardiovascular pathologies or hemorrhages it increases up to 100 dyn cm −2 [101]. Therefore, this difference can be used as an internal stimulus for PDDS.…”

“…Shen et al prepared micelles that are responsive to ROS production and shear stress to treat atherosclerosis, which is a type of cardiovascular disease [102]. However, most research on shear stress-responsive polymers has focused on hydrogel nanoparticles because of their flexibility [101].…”

Nanosponges for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy: Recent Advances

“…Nanomaterials have been widely explored as potential drug delivery and cancer therapy agents; however, detailed studies are still required to find efficient delivery systems with high biocompatibility and biodegradability properties for specific and targeted therapy [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. Additionally, the interactions of these nanomaterials with physiological environments, along with their nanotoxicological assessments, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic issues, metabolism, and drug release mechanisms (e.g., diffusion, erosion, targeting, swelling, dissolution, and osmosis), still need to be comprehensively addressed, especially for clinical translation studies [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Among these created nanomaterials, nanosponges with suitable penetration, absorption, biocompatibility, bioavailability, and stability have been studied for targeted and sustained drug delivery and cancer therapy [ 10 ].…”