Hypoxia-responsive nanoparticles for fluorescence diagnosis and therapy of cancer

Hypoxia, caused by rapid tumor growth and insufficient oxygen supply, is a defining characteristic of numerous solid tumors and exerts a significant influence on tumor growth, metastasis, and invasion. Early diagnosis and effective killing of tumor cells are crucial for cancer treatment. In recent years, the emergence of nanomaterials has overcome the difficulties in the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs and contrast agents to tumor area. In this review, we summarize the development of hypoxia-responsive nanoparticles for fluorescence imaging and tumor therapy in the last five years, and further discuss their design strategies and applications in bioimaging. In addition, we discuss the therapeutic strategies of hypoxia-responsive prodrugs on different nanoplatforms and the future prospects of hypoxia-responsive nanomedicine in tumor therapy.