Synthesis of self-assembled hyaluronan based nanoparticles and their applications in targeted imaging and therapy

Hyaluronan (HA) is a polysaccharide consisting of repeating disaccharides of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and D- glucuronic acid. There are increasing interests in utilizing self-assembled HA nanoparticles (HA-NPs) for targeted imaging and therapy. The principal endogenous receptor of HA, cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), is over -expressed on many types of tumor cells as well as inflammatory cells in human bodies. Active targeting from HA-CD44 mediated interaction and passive targeting due to the enhanced permeability retention (EPR) effect could lead to selective accumulation of HA-NPs at targeted disease sites. This review focuses on the synthesis strategies of self-assembled HA-NPs, as well as their applications in therapy and biomedical imaging.

Automated summary

Hyaluronan nanoparticles (HA-NPs) have gained increasing interest for targeted imaging and therapy. By utilizing the interaction between HA and CD44, as well as the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, selective accumulation of HA-NPs at disease sites can be achieved. This review focuses on the synthesis strategies of HA-NPs and their applications in therapy and biomedical imaging.