Aptamer-based self-assembled supramolecular vesicles for pH-responsive targeted drug delivery

Supramolecular vesicles have received great attention in biomedical application due to their inherent features, including simple synthesis and tunable amphiphilicity of the building blocks. Despite tremendous research efforts, developing supramolecular vesicles with targeted recognition and controlled release remains a major challenge. Herein, we constructed a novel aptamer-based self-assembled supramolecular vesicle by host-guest complexation of pyrene, viologen lipid, and cucurbit[8]urils for pH-responsive and targeted drug delivery. The proposed supramolecular vesicles are easy to be assembled and offer simple drug loading. Based on confocal fluorescence microscopy and cytotoxicity experiments, the drug-loaded supramolecular vesicles were shown to possess highly efficient internalization and apparent cytotoxic effect on target cancer cells, but not control cells.Furthermore, through simple aptamer or drug substitution, supramolecular vesicles can be applied to a variety of target cell lines and drugs, making it widely applicable. Taking advantage of the easy preparation, good stability, rapid pH response, and cell targeting ability, the aptamer-based self-assembled supramolecular vesicles hold great promise in controlled-release biomedical applications and targeted cancer therapy.

Supramolecular Vesicles Based on Gold Nanorods for Precise Control of Gene Therapy and Deferred Photothermal Therapy

In spite of being a promising therapeutic modality,gene therapy has limited clinical applications,mostly due to the lack of spatiotemporal resolution and inadequate efficacy.Herein,we present a facile strategy to remotely control intracellular gene expression by using gold nanorod-(Au NR)derived,host-guest interaction-mediated supramolecular vesicles as a gene carrier and photothermal transducer.Upon pulsed laser irradiation,mild photothermal conditions dissociate supramolecular vesicles to release gene and simultaneously activate heat shock protein-70 promoter(Hsp70)for spatiotemporally initiating gene expression inside cancer cells.Subsequently,upon introducing a polymeric guest species specifically into cancer cells,the dissociated Au NRs functionalized with macrocyclic host molecules could re-aggregate rapidly in cells to retard exocytosis of these NRs,thereby allowing deferred photothermal therapy to enhance the overall therapeutic outcome.

Icing on the cake: combining a dual PEG-functionalized pillararene and an A-D-A small molecule photosensitizer for multimodal phototherapy

The design of photosensitizers with multimodal antitumor activity and the construction of nanocarriers with specific targeting are two magic weapons to achieve highly efficient tumor phototherapy. Here we developed an A-D-A fused-ring conjugated small molecule photosensitizer DPIC and proposed a new strategy of constructing phototherapy agents, namely using supramolecular vesicles constructed by the self-assembly of a novel dual PEG-functionalized pillararene WP5-2 PEG to load DPIC. These new nanocarriers had excellent water solubility and drug encapsulation rates. The prepared DPIC NPs had a better water solubility compared with DPIC molecules and had a uniform hollow spherical morphology, which is beneficial for cell endocytosis. Under laser irradiation(808 nm), the DPIC NPs had a photothermal conversion efficiency(PTCE) of 55% and a PTCE of 49% under980-nm laser irradiation. The DPIC NPs also displayed dual type I and type II photodynamic activity. DPIC NPs had superior biocompatibility and stability and can also inhibit tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating their potential for highly efficient cancer phototherapy.