In recent years, functional drug delivery systems for both targeting drugs to cancer cells and responding to the specific microenvironmental changes of cancer cells for the delivery of the drug have drawn great attention from the chemistry and pharmacology fields in cancer treatment for minimizing undesired effects in the normal cells. Supramolecular drug delivery systems constructed by noncovalent interactions have the ability to realize dynamic reversible switching of structure, morphology and function in response to various external stimuli, thus, providing a platform for designing and developing smart supramolecular nano-drug carriers. It is clear that supramolecular self-assemblies have been an active area of research and an important component of supramolecular chemistry and nanoscience, novel macrocyclic hosts-based recognition motifs, play extremely important roles in supramolecular self-assemblies and related applications. Moreover, functional groups can be introduced into supramolecular systems through specific modification of hosts or guests, so as to meet the requirements for applications in various fields. By noncovalent functionalization, supramolecular nanosystems will be excellent drug carriers, improving the problems imposed by water solubility and stability of drugs as well as realizing controlled release. In this critical review, we summarize recent results in the investigation of macrocyclic hosts-based supramolecular nanostructures for controllable anticancer drug delivery, and supramolecular drug delivery systems are classified based on the types of macrocyclic frameworks involved. Finally, the prospects are pointed out based on the current development of this system.
Contents
1 Introduction
2 Supramolecular drug delivery systems based on cyclodextrins
2.1 Drug-loaded micelles
2.2 Drug-loaded nanoparticles
2.3 Supramolecular prodrug hydrogels
2.4 Photo-controllable drug delivery vehicles
2.5 Vehicles capable of targeted co-delivery of gene and drug
3 Supramolecular drug delivery systems based on calixarenes
3.1 Drug-loaded vesicles
3.2 Multifunctional co-assemblies
3.3 Amphoteric calixarene-based drug delivery vehicles
4 Supramolecular drug delivery systems based on cucurbiturils
4.1 Drug-loaded vesicles
4.2 Drug-loaded nanoparticles
4.3 Drug-loaded crosslinked supramolecular network
4.4 Molecular container-based drug delivery vehicles
5 Supramolecular drug delivery systems based on pillararenes
5.1 Drug-loaded vesicles or micelles
5.2 Supramolecular prodrug nanoparticles
5.3 Self-imaging drug delivery vehicles
6 Conclusion