title: "pH phoresis": a new concept that can be used for improving drug delivery to tumor cells.
abstract: We propose a new concept describing how nanoparticles composed of weak polybases (such as polyamines) would behave when they are exposed to a pH gradient; weak polybase-containing particles will tend to accumulate preferentially in low pH regions under a pH gradient environment. This phenomenon, which we term "pH phoresis", may provide a useful mechanism for improving the delivery of drugs to cancer cells in solid tumor tissues.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. yywon@ecn.purdue.edu
authors.forename: You-Yeon
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Hoyoung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008823:Micelles; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011073:Polyamines / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D008823:Micelles; D011073:Polyamines
keywords: Cancer; Drug delivery; Nanoparticle; Polyamine; Tumor; pH