title: Reduction-responsive polymeric micelles and vesicles for triggered intracellular drug release.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  The therapeutic effects of current micellar and vesicular drug formulations are restricted by slow and inefficient drug release at the pathological site. The development of smart polymeric nanocarriers that release drugs upon arriving at the target site has received a tremendous amount of attention for cancer therapy.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Taking advantage of a high reducing potential in the tumor tissues and in particular inside the tumor cells, various reduction-sensitive polymeric micelles and vesicles have been designed and explored for triggered anticancer drug release. These reduction-responsive nanosystems have demonstrated several unique features, such as good stability under physiological conditions, fast response to intracellular reducing environment, triggering drug release right in the cytosol and cell nucleus, and significantly improved antitumor activity, compared to traditional reduction-insensitive counterparts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although reduction-sensitive micelles and polymersomes have accomplished rapid intracellular drug release and enhanced in vitro antitumor effect, their fate inside the cells including the mechanism, site, and rate of reduction reaction remains unclear. Moreover, the systemic fate and performance of reduction-sensitive polymeric drug formulations have to be investigated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biophysical studies should be carried out to gain insight into the degradation and drug release behaviors of reduction-responsive nanocarriers inside the tumor cells. Furthermore, novel ligand-decorated reduction-sensitive nanoparticulate drug formulations should be designed and explored for targeted cancer therapy in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Biomedical Polymers Laboratory, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer Design and Application, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Soochow University , Suzhou, People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Huanli
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Fenghua
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Zhiyuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D065546:Drug Liberation; D006801:Humans; D042541:Intracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism*; D008823:Micelles; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008823:Micelles; D011108:Polymers