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 loading, 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, photodynamic 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.