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Review
. 2022 Jun 22:13:924131.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.924131. eCollection 2022.

Recent Advances in Nanotheranostic Agents for Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Longhai Jin  1 , Chenyi Yang  2 , Jianqiu Wang  1 , Jiannan Li  3 , Nannan Xu  1
Affiliations
Review

Recent Advances in Nanotheranostic Agents for Tumor Microenvironment-Responsive Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Longhai Jin et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Nanomaterials integrating a variety of excellent properties (such as controllable/suitable size, surface modifier, and multifunctionality) have attracted increasing attention in the biomedical field and have been considered a new generation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs). In recent years, stimuli-responsive nanomaterials with specifically responsive ability have been synthesized as MRI CAs, which can significantly improve the diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy depending on their outstanding performance. Furthermore, the inherent tumor microenvironment (TME) of malignant tumor is considered to possess several unique features, such as low extracellular pH, redox condition, hypoxia, and high interstitial pressure, that are significantly different from healthy tissues. Hence, constructing nanomaterials for TME-responsive MRI as an emerging strategy is expected to overcome the current obstacles to precise diagnosis. This review focuses on recent advances of nanomaterials in their application of TME-responsive MRI that trigger the diagnostic function in response to various endogenous stimulations, including pH, redox, enzyme, and hypoxia. Moreover, the future challenges and trends in the development of nanomaterials serving as TME-responsive MRI CAs are discussed.

Keywords: MRI; diagnosis of cancer; nanomaterials; stimuli-responsive; tumor microenvironment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
General strategies to synthesize nanotheranostic agents for TME-responsive MRI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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