Tianjin Key Laboratory for Modern Drug Delivery & High-Efficiency, School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300193, China.
National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, China.
J Nanobiotechnology. 2022 Nov 19;20(1):485. doi: 10.1186/s12951-022-01698-x.
Currently, tumor treatments are characterized by intelligence, diversity and personalization, but the therapeutic reagents used are often limited in clinical efficacy due to problems with water solubility, targeting, stability and multidrug resistance. To remedy these shortcomings, the application of multifunctional nanotechnology in the biomedical field has been widely studied. Synthetic melanin nanoparticles (MNPs) surfaces which contain highly reactive chemical groups such as carboxyl, hydroxyl and amine groups, can be used as a reaction platform on which to graft different functional components. In addition, MNPs easily adhere to substrate surface, and serve as a secondary reaction platform to modify it. The multifunctionality and intrinsic biocompatibility make melanin-like nanoparticles promising as a multifunctional and powerful nanoplatform for oncological applications. This paper first reviews the preparation methods, polymerization mechanisms and physicochemical properties of melanin including natural melanin and chemically synthesized melanin to guide scholars in MNP-based design. Then, recent advances in MNPs especially synthetic polydopamine (PDA) melanin for various medical oncological applications are systematically and thoroughly described, mainly focusing on bioimaging, photothermal therapy (PTT), and drug delivery for tumor therapy. Finally, based on the investigated literature, the current challenges and future directions for clinical translation are reasonably discussed, focusing on the innovative design of MNPs and further elucidation of pharmacokinetics. This paper is a timely and comprehensive and detailed study of the progress of MNPs in tumor therapy, especially PTT, and provides ideas for the design of personalized and customizable oncology nanomedicines to address the heterogeneity of the tumor microenvironment.
目前，肿瘤治疗的特点是智能化、多样化和个性化，但由于水溶性、靶向性、稳定性和多药耐药性等问题，所使用的治疗试剂在临床疗效上往往受到限制。为了弥补这些不足，多功能纳米技术在生物医学领域的应用得到了广泛的研究。合成黑色素纳米粒子（MNPs）表面含有羧基、羟基和氨基等高度反应性化学基团，可作为接枝不同功能成分的反应平台。此外，MNPs 容易附着在基底表面，并作为二次反应平台对其进行修饰。黑色素样纳米粒子的多功能性和固有生物相容性使其有望成为一种用于肿瘤学应用的多功能、强大的纳米平台。本文首先综述了黑色素（包括天然黑色素和化学合成黑色素）的制备方法、聚合机制和物理化学性质，以指导基于 MNP 的设计。然后，系统而深入地描述了 MNPs，特别是合成聚多巴胺（PDA）黑色素在各种医学肿瘤学应用中的最新进展，主要集中在生物成像、光热治疗（PTT）和肿瘤治疗的药物传递上。最后，基于已调查的文献，合理地讨论了临床转化的当前挑战和未来方向，重点是 MNPs 的创新设计和药代动力学的进一步阐明。本文是对 MNPs 在肿瘤治疗，特别是 PTT 方面进展的及时、全面和详细的研究，为设计个性化和定制化的肿瘤纳米药物提供了思路，以解决肿瘤微环境的异质性问题。
