Zhang Yapei, Qiu Yunxiu, Karimi Ali Bavandpour, Smith Bryan Ronain
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2025 Mar;52(4):1576-1595. doi: 10.1007/s00259-024-07014-z. Epub 2024 Dec 26.
The design of smart, photoactivated nanomaterials for targeted drug delivery systems (DDS) has garnered significant research interest due in part to the ability of light to precisely control drug release in specific cells or tissues with high spatial and temporal resolution. The development of effective light-triggered DDS involves mechanisms including photocleavage, photoisomerization, photopolymerization, photosensitization, photothermal phenomena, and photorearrangement, which permit response to ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis), and/or Near Infrared (NIR) light. This review explores recent advancements in light-responsive small molecules, polymers, and nanocarriers, detailing their underlying mechanisms and utility for drug delivery and/or imaging. Furthermore, it highlights key challenges and future perspectives in the development of light-triggered DDS, emphasizing the potential of these systems to revolutionize targeted therapies.
A systematic literature search was performed using Google Scholar as the primary database and information source. We searched the recently published literature (within 15 years) with the following keywords individually and in relevant combinations: light responsive, nanoparticle, drug release, mechanism, photothermal, photosensitization, photopolymerization, photocleavage, and photoisomerization.
We selected 117 scientific articles to assess the strength of evidence after screening titles and abstracts. We found that six mechanisms (photocleavage, photoisomerization, photopolymerization, photosensitization, photothermal phenomena, and photorearrangement) have primarily been used for light-triggered drug release and categorized our review accordingly. Azobenzene/spiropyran-based derivatives and o-nitrobenzyl/Coumarin derivatives are often used for photoisomerization and photocleavage-enabled drug delivery, while free radical polymerization and cationic polymerization comprise two main mechanisms of photopolymerization. One hundred two is the primary active radical oxygen species employed for photosensitization, which is a key factor that impacts the therapeutic effects in Photodynamic therapy, but not in photothermal therapy.
The comprehensive review serves as a guiding compass for light-triggered DDS for biomedical applications. This rapidly advancing field is poised to generate breakthroughs for disease diagnosis and treatment.
用于靶向给药系统（DDS）的智能光激活纳米材料的设计已引起了广泛的研究兴趣，部分原因是光能够以高空间和时间分辨率精确控制特定细胞或组织中的药物释放。有效的光触发给药系统的开发涉及光裂解、光异构化、光聚合、光敏化、光热现象和光重排等机制，这些机制允许对紫外线（UV）、可见光（Vis）和/或近红外（NIR）光作出响应。本综述探讨了光响应小分子、聚合物和纳米载体的最新进展，详细介绍了它们在药物递送和/或成像方面的潜在机制和应用。此外，还强调了光触发给药系统开发中的关键挑战和未来展望，强调了这些系统在革新靶向治疗方面的潜力。
以谷歌学术作为主要数据库和信息来源进行了系统的文献检索。我们单独或组合使用以下关键词搜索了最近发表的文献（15年内）：光响应、纳米颗粒、药物释放、机制、光热、光敏化、光聚合、光裂解和光异构化。
在筛选标题和摘要后，我们选择了117篇科学文章来评估证据强度。我们发现六种机制（光裂解、光异构化、光聚合、光敏化、光热现象和光重排）主要用于光触发药物释放，并据此对我们的综述进行了分类。基于偶氮苯/螺吡喃的衍生物和邻硝基苄基/香豆素衍生物常用于光异构化和光裂解介导的药物递送，而自由基聚合和阳离子聚合是光聚合的两种主要机制。单线态氧是用于光敏化的主要活性氧物种，这是影响光动力疗法而非光热疗法治疗效果的关键因素。
本综述为生物医学应用的光触发给药系统提供了指导方向。这个快速发展的领域有望在疾病诊断和治疗方面取得突破。
