Photoresponsive nanoparticles for drug delivery

• Introducing photoactivation mechanisms based on energy conversion processes (i.e., photochemical, photothermal, photosensitization, and upconversion processes).
• Providing examples of phototriggerable nanoparticles and emphasizing in vitro and in vivo drug delivery studies.
• Highlighting characteristics and considerations of phototriggered drug delivery systems in clinical applications (i.e., light penetration through tissue and phototoxicity).

SummaryExternally triggerable drug delivery systems provide a strategy for the delivery of therapeutic agents preferentially to a target site, presenting the ability to enhance therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects. Light is a versatile and easily tuned external stimulus that can provide spatiotemporal control. Here we will review the use of nanoparticles in which light triggers drug release or induces particle binding to tissues (phototargeting).

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