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.