Research advances and applications of nucleic acid-modified techniques for biomedical nanomaterial

Functional nanoparticles possess great potential for precise diagnosis and optimum therapy of serious diseases. However, their application is limited by structural heterogeneity and physical properties, low drug-loading efficiency, the absence of effective drug release, and some undetermined physiological and biochemical properties. Effective surface modification is able to overcome these limitations and largely improve the application performance of functional nanoparticles in biomedicine. Nevertheless, chemical or physical surface modifications using conventional surfactants are difficult to ensure homogeneous construction and normal metabolism of nanoparticles in vivo. Recent progress in this field has demonstrated that nucleic acid-modified nanoparticles can attain efficient transport, steady state and rational metabolism, as well as clear targeting and controllable drug release. All of these advantages are attributed to the special steric structure, homology, and biological functions of nucleic acids. Moreover, abundant active sites on the nucleic acid skeleton not only facilitate the direct or indirect connection of nanoparticles, but also support retention of the functions of both nanoparticles themselves and nucleic acids. In this review, we summarize the outstanding respective characteristics and prospects of nucleic acid-modified nanoparticles. In addition, primary surface modification techniques for preparing nucleic acid-modified nanoparticles, including non-scaffold-mediated modification and scaffold-mediated modification, were highlighted. Furthermore, interactions between nanoparticles and nucleic acids, as well as the effects of modification techniques on the properties of nucleic acid modified nanoparticles, are discussed in detail.