Aptamer-Functionalized Micro- And Nanocarriers for Controlled Release

Margarita Vazquez-Gonzalez, Itamar Willner*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sequence-specific nucleic acids recognizing low-molecular-weight ligands or macromolecules (aptamers) have found growing interest for biomedical applications. The present review article summarizes recent applications of aptamers as stimuli-responsive gating units of drug (or dye)-loaded nano- or microcarriers for controlled and targeted drug release. In the presence of cellular biomarkers, the nano-/microcarriers are unlocked by forming aptamer-ligand complexes. Different aptamer-functinalized nano-/microcarriers are presented, including inorganic nanomaterials, metal-organic framework nanoparticles, and soft materials. The chemistries associated with the preparation of the carriers and the mechanisms to unlock the carriers are discussed. Stimuli-responsive gated drug-loaded micro-/nanocarriers hold great promise as functional sense-and-treat materials for the targeted and selective release of drugs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)9520-9541
Number of pages22
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume13
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 3 Mar 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
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Keywords

  • carbon dots
  • metal-organic framework particles
  • microcapsules
  • nanomaterials
  • nanomedicine
  • SiOnanoparticles

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