Designing supramolecular self-assembly nanomaterials as stimuli-responsive drug delivery platforms for cancer therapy

Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials have attracted substantial interest in cancer therapy, as they hold promise to deliver anticancer agents to tumor sites in a precise and on-demand manner. Interestingly, supramolecular chemistry is a burgeoning discipline that entails the reversible bonding between components at the molecular and nanoscale levels, and the recent advances in this area offer the possibility to design nanotherapeutics with improved controllability and functionality for cancer therapy. Herein, we provide a comprehensive summary of typical non-covalent interaction modes, which primarily include hydrophobic interaction, hydrogel bonding, host-guest interaction, pi-pi stacking, and electrostatic interaction. Special emphasis is placed on the implications of these interaction modes to design novel stimuli-responsive drug delivery principles and concepts, aiming to enhance the spatial, temporal, and dosage precision of drug delivery to cancer cells. Finally, future perspectives are discussed to highlight current challenges and future opportunities in self-assembly-based stimuli-responsive drug delivery nanotechnologies for cancer therapy.

Automated summary

Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials have been attracting significant attention in the field of cancer therapy, as they offer the potential to deliver anticancer drugs to tumor sites with precision and on-demand. Supramolecular chemistry, which involves reversible bonding at the molecular and nanoscale levels, has advanced the design of nanotherapeutics with enhanced control and functionality. This review provides a comprehensive summary of non-covalent interaction modes, such as hydrophobic interaction, hydrogel bonding, host-guest interaction, pi-pi stacking, and electrostatic interaction, and discusses their implications for designing stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems to improve spatial, temporal, and dosage precision. The review also highlights current challenges and future opportunities in self-assembly-based stimuli-responsive drug delivery nanotechnologies for cancer therapy.