Stimuli-responsive polymers for anti-cancer drug delivery

Stimuli-responsive polymers are an important component for preparation of stimuli-responsive drug delivery systems with less side effects and improved efficacy for cancer treatment. There are endogenous stimuli and exogenous stimuli which can be explored, Here we review the developments in both endogenous stimuli-including redox-/pH-/enzyme-responsive polymers and exogenous stimuli-including thermo-/photo- and ultrasound-responsive polymers for delivery of anti-cancer drugs. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.