Design principles, synthesis and biomedical applications of polymer vesicles with inhomogeneous membranes.

Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society
Danqing LiuJianzhong Du

Abstract

Inspired by cell membrane structures, synthetic polymer vesicles caused great expectations for the preparation of biomedicine for decades. However, in contrast to bio-membranes, which consist of inhomogeneous features, conventional synthetic polymer vesicles usually consist of a homogeneous membrane which is purely made out of hydrophobic components. This significantly limited the versatility of synthetic polymer vesicle membranes. Fortunately, polymer vesicles with inhomogeneous membranes were recently developed to address this limitation. These new inhomogeneous membrane features introduced secondary functions to the vesicle membrane. Indeed, the membrane of polymer vesicles no longer only serves as a simple barrier that separates the interior from the exterior environment. Introduced membrane features can act as a versatile platform for tailorable nanoparticle functionalities, which allow functions such as biomacromolecule transportation, diabetes treatment, and cancer theranostics. This review highlights recent advances made with polymer vesicles with inhomogeneous membrane structures. More specifically, design principles, biomedical applications, and the future perspectives of such vesicles are summarized.

Citations

Mar 25, 2021·Drug Delivery and Translational Research·Ping WeiJianzhong Du
Apr 20, 2021·Journal of Controlled Release : Official Journal of the Controlled Release Society·Zhiyuan Zhong
Sep 17, 2021·Nano Letters·Xue ZhouJianzhong Du
Oct 27, 2021·Macromolecular Rapid Communications·Jianan HuangJunyou Wang

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