Self-assembling bile pigments for cancer diagnosis and therapy

Nanomaterials that integrate multiple functions provide promising opportunities for noninvasive and targeted cancer diagnosis and therapy. However, the unclear metabolic pathway to nanomaterials brought difficulties to clinical application. Self-assembling bile pigments are endogenous functional materials with excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity. Functional materials based on endogenous bile pigments provide a decent solution to this dilemma. In this review, the features and functions of self-assembling bile pigments are discussed in detail for cancer diagnosis and treatment applications. Emphases are put on the intrinsic physicochemical characteristics of bile pigments and their applications, including drug delivery, photoacoustic imaging, photothermal therapy, and anti-inflammation therapy. This review will promote the exploration of these areas and tremendously realize the innovative applications of self-assembling biliverdin /bilirubin nanomaterials toward cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Automated summary

Nanomaterials integrating multiple functions offer promising opportunities for noninvasive and targeted cancer diagnosis and therapy. Self-assembling bile pigments, with excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity, provide a decent solution to the unclear metabolic pathway dilemma. This review discusses the features and functions of self-assembling bile pigments for cancer diagnosis and treatment applications, emphasizing their intrinsic physicochemical characteristics and various applications in drug delivery, imaging, therapy, and anti-inflammation.