Chapter 4
Aptamer-Based Drug Delivery Systems
Zhenbao Liu and Yanfei Liu
Abstract Recently, aptamer-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) emerged as attractive platforms for precise medicine by targeting to disease cells and reducing the
side effects. Aptamers are single-stranded RNA or DNA with high binding affinity
and specificity against their corresponding targets, such as metal ions, peptides,
proteins, and living cells. Compared with classic antibodies, aptamers have many
superiorities, such as small size, little immunogenicity, no batch-to-batch variation, low cost-efficiency, and easy modification, which made them to be promising
targeting ligands for drug delivery. Aptamers conjugated DDSs can be selectively
uptaken by targeted cells via receptor-mediated internalization. Currently, various
aptamer-mediated DDSs have been developed to realize specific drug delivery and
improved therapeutic effects for diverse diseases. In this chapter, the recent advances
on aptamer-based drug delivery for disease treatment are systematically reviewed.
The recent advances in aptamers as therapeutics, aptamer-drug conjugates (ApDCs)
and aptamer-functionalized nanoparticle drug delivery systems are summarized. The
present challenges and future perspectives are also discussed.
Keywords Aptamers · Drug delivery systems · Aptamer-drug conjugates · Gold
nanoparticles · Metal-organic framework · Extracellular vesicles
4.1 Introduction
Currently, personal and precision medicine by designing tailored drugs for individual
patient’s use represents a trend in medical treatment [1]. One intriguing method
Z. Liu (B)
Department of Pharmaceutics, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South
University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, P. R. China
e-mail: zhenbaoliu@csu.edu.cn
Y. Liu
Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Central South University, Changsha 410083, Hunan Province, P. R. China
e-mail: Liuyf@csu.edu.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Dong (ed.), Aptamers for Medical Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4838-7_4
77
Aptamer-Based Drug Delivery Systems
Zhenbao Liu and Yanfei Liu
Abstract Recently, aptamer-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) emerged as attractive platforms for precise medicine by targeting to disease cells and reducing the
side effects. Aptamers are single-stranded RNA or DNA with high binding affinity
and specificity against their corresponding targets, such as metal ions, peptides,
proteins, and living cells. Compared with classic antibodies, aptamers have many
superiorities, such as small size, little immunogenicity, no batch-to-batch variation, low cost-efficiency, and easy modification, which made them to be promising
targeting ligands for drug delivery. Aptamers conjugated DDSs can be selectively
uptaken by targeted cells via receptor-mediated internalization. Currently, various
aptamer-mediated DDSs have been developed to realize specific drug delivery and
improved therapeutic effects for diverse diseases. In this chapter, the recent advances
on aptamer-based drug delivery for disease treatment are systematically reviewed.
The recent advances in aptamers as therapeutics, aptamer-drug conjugates (ApDCs)
and aptamer-functionalized nanoparticle drug delivery systems are summarized. The
present challenges and future perspectives are also discussed.
Keywords Aptamers · Drug delivery systems · Aptamer-drug conjugates · Gold
nanoparticles · Metal-organic framework · Extracellular vesicles
4.1 Introduction
Currently, personal and precision medicine by designing tailored drugs for individual
patient’s use represents a trend in medical treatment [1]. One intriguing method
Z. Liu (B)
Department of Pharmaceutics, Xiangya School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Central South
University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, P. R. China
e-mail: zhenbaoliu@csu.edu.cn
Y. Liu
Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering,
Central South University, Changsha 410083, Hunan Province, P. R. China
e-mail: Liuyf@csu.edu.cn
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Y. Dong (ed.), Aptamers for Medical Applications,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4838-7_4
77