Polymeric nanoparticles with unique properties are regarded as the most promising materials for biomedical applications including drug delivery and in vitro/in vivo imaging.Among them,stimulus-responsive polymeric nanoparticles,usually termed as "intelligent" nanoparticles,could undergo structure,shape,and property changes after being exposed to external signals including pH,temperature,magnetic field,and light,which could be used to modulate the macroscopical behavior of the nanoparticles.This paper reviews the recent progress in stimulus-responsive nanoparticles used for drug delivery and in vitro/in vivo imaging,with an emphasis on double/multiple stimulus-responsive systems and their biomedical applications.
LI YongYong1,2,DONG HaiQing1,2,WANG Kang1,SHI DongLu 2,ZHANG XianZheng1 & ZHUO RenXi1 1Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers,Ministry of Education
Peptide dendrimers are attractive synthetic polymers and have been widely used as a new generation of biomaterials in recent years.Peptide dendrimers,as well as general dendrimers,may be synthesized to reach nano sizes,and display well-defined architectures,highly-branched structures,high density of functional terminal groups,and controllable molecular weights.On the other hand,peptide dendrimers have properties similar to proteins and some special characteristics,such as good biocompatibility,water solubility and resistance to proteolytic digestion.Due to these advantages,peptide dendrimers have received considerable attention in biomedicine.This review focuses on the development of peptide dendrimers with emphasis on their applications both in diagnostics and in therapy.
GU ZhongWei,LUO Kui,SHE WenChuan,WU Yao & HE Bin National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials,Sichuan University,Chengdu 610064,China
