Recent advantage of hyaluronic acid for anti-cancer application: a review of “3S” transition approach

Abstract In recent years, nano drug delivery system has been widely concerned because of its good therapeutic effect. However, the process from blood circulation to cancer cell release of nanodrugs will be eliminated by the human body's own defense trap, thus reducing the therapeutic effect. In recent years, a “3S” transition concept, including stability transition, surface transition and size transition, was proposed to overcome the barriers in delivery process. Hyaluronic (HA) acid has been widely used in delivery of anticancer drugs due to its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and specific targeting to cancer cells. In this paper, the strategies and methods of HA-based nanomaterials using “3S” theory are reviewed. The applications and effects of “3S” modified nanomaterials in various fields are also introduced.