Carrier-free supramolecular nanomedicines assembled by small-molecule therapeutics for cancer treatment

Nanomedicines have shown great promise in cancer therapy, but are challenged by limited drug load-ing, safety concerns of drug carriers, and complexity of function integration. Recently, carrier-free nanomedicines produced by supramolecular assembly of small-molecule therapeutic functionalities and their conjugates were proposed to address these issues. These nanomedicines achieve very high drug loading, enhanced tumor accumulation and improved therapeutic efficiency, and avoid carrier-related safety problems. In this review article, the applications of these nanomedicines in chemotherapy, photo-dynamic therapy, photothermal therapy as well as combination therapies will be reviewed. The concept of nanomedicine design and mechanism of supramolecular assembly will be discussed. Finally, future perspectives of carrier-free supramolecular nanomedicines for cancer therapy will be highlighted.(c) 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.