Drug delivery of pH-Sensitive nanoparticles into the liver cancer cells

Abstract Nanotechnology is a developing strategy to overcome the disadvantages of traditional liver cancer chemotherapy. For this purpose, different kinds of nanoparticles (NPs) regarding their composition, charge, size, type, toxicity, target accumulation, stability, scale-up possibility, etc. have been prepared. pH-sensitive NPs are smart systems which exhibit charge-reversible property in different pH environments. In this review, liver physiology and the chemical structure of pH-sensitive materials are first introduced. In continue, the importance of charge-reversibility in the uptake of NPs into liver cancer cells is investigated. The stability of pH-triggered NPs in blood circulation is also discussed. In the following, pH-sensitive NPs which have been used in active targeting and gene delivery are studied. These systems pose high blood circulation and high accumulation in the tumor media. Using these systems, side effects and non-target cell uptake have been remarkably reduced. Overall, this review focuses on the current research and recent developments of pH-sensitive nano-drug delivery systems for liver cancer therapy emphasizing their pros and cons in cell uptake, blood circulation, and other specific aspects.