Cholesterol-Bearing Polysaccharide-Based Nanogels for Development of Novel Immunotherapy and Regenerative Medicine
Tetsuya Adachi,
Yoshiro Tahara,
Kenta Yamamoto,
Toshiro Yamamoto,
Narisato Kanamura,
Kazunari Akiyoshi,
Osam Mazda
Affiliations
Tetsuya Adachi
Department of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Yoshiro Tahara
Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Doshisha University, 1-3 Tatara Miyakodani, Kyoto-fu, Kyotanabe-shi 610-0321, Japan
Kenta Yamamoto
Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, 465 Kajii-cho, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Toshiro Yamamoto
Department of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Narisato Kanamura
Department of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Kazunari Akiyoshi
Department of Polymer Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Katsura, Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto 615-8510, Japan
Osam Mazda
Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, 465 Kajii-cho, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Novel functional biomaterials are expected to bring about breakthroughs in developing immunotherapy and regenerative medicine through their application as drug delivery systems and scaffolds. Nanogels are defined as nanoparticles with a particle size of 100 nm or less and as having a gel structure. Nanogels have a three-dimensional network structure of cross-linked polymer chains, which have a high water content, a volume phase transition much faster than that of a macrogel, and a quick response to external stimuli. As it is possible to transmit substances according to the three-dimensional mesh size of the gel, a major feature is that relatively large substances, such as proteins and nucleic acids, can be taken into the gel. Furthermore, by organizing nanogels as a building block, they can be applied as a scaffold material for tissue regeneration. This review provides a brief overview of the current developments in nanogels in general, especially drug delivery, therapeutic applications, and tissue engineering. In particular, polysaccharide-based nanogels are interesting because they have excellent complexation properties and are highly biocompatible.
