Structures and Applications of Nucleic Acid-Based Micelles for Cancer Therapy

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo

Nucleic acids serve as key building blocks in nanotechnology, enabling DNA and RNA to form programmable nanostructures that support versatile drug delivery. Self-assembling amphiphilic nucleic acids can create micelles that encapsulate hydrophobic agents in the core while displaying functional groups on the surface. These biocompatible micelles can also act as drugs themselves, with embedded DNA or RNA contributing therapeutic activity. This review surveys nucleic acid-based spherical micelles and their cancer therapy applications.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Nucleic acids as building blocks for nanotechnology

Biomedical applications of nucleic acid nanostructures

Cancer background and therapeutic needs

Review Structures and Applications of Nucleic Acid-Based Micelles for Cancer Therapy Haejoo Kim and Minseok Kwak * Citation: Kim, H.; Kwak, M. Structures and Applications of Nucleic Acid-Based Micelles for Cancer Therapy. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24, 1592. [https://doi.org/10.3390/](https://doi.org/10.3390/)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3390/)ijms24021592 Academic Editor: Anne-Catherine Prats Received: 14 December 2022 Revised: 5 January 2023 Accepted: 11 January 2023 Published: 13 January 2023 Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . Department of Chemistry and Industry 4.0 Convergence Bionics Engineering, Pukyong National University, 45 Yongso-ro, Nam-gu, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea * [Correspondence: mkwak@pukyong.ac.kr](Correspondence: mkwak@pukyong.ac.kr) Abstract: Nucleic acids have become important building blocks in nanotechnology over the last 30 years. DNA and RNA can sequentially build speciﬁc nanostructures, resulting in versatile drug delivery systems. Self-assembling amphiphilic nucleic acids, composed of hydrophilic and hydrophobic segments to form micelle structures, have the potential for cancer therapeutics due to their ability to encapsulate hydrophobic agents into their core and position functional groups on the surface. Moreover, DNA or RNA within bio-compatible micelles can function as drugs by themselves. This review introduces and discusses nucleic acid-based spherical micelles from diverse amphiphilic nucleic acids and their applications in cancer therapy. Keywords: DNAs; RNAs; amphiphiles; nanoparticles; targeting; chemotherapy; immunotherapy; gene silencing 1. Introduction Nucleic acids are biopolymers, which consist of nucleotide monomers. Each nucleotide includes three units: a heterocyclic base, a phosphate group, and a ribose molecule. One after another, nucleosides are linked via a phosphodiester bond forming nucleotides. While ribonucleic acid (RNA) has a 2'-hydroxy group, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) has a hydrogen instead at the position. The consecutive nucleotides are named single-stranded (ss) nucleic acid and have directionality such as the 5' and 3'-ends. DNA's nucleobases are composed of adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine (C), and guanine (G), while RNA's nucleobases have adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil (U) instead of thymine. Based on Watson– Crick base-pairing, complementary ssDNA can form an anti-parallel double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). These base-pairs between nucleobases are formed by two hydrogen bonds between adenine and thymine, and three hydrogen bonds between cytosine and guanine (Figure 1) [1–4] . Nucleic acids are attractive building blocks for nanosized two-and three-dimensional architectures due to their unique characteristics. Firstly, nucleic acid nanostructures have programmability with a deﬁned sequence and accurate designs because base-pairing between nucleobases is highly speciﬁc and predictable despite the simple structural composition of nucleic acids. Secondly, nucleic acids, customized with the desired sequence, can be chemically or biologically synthesized owing to well-established processes and protocols. Also, it is possible to modify nucleotides chemically to create functionalized nucleic acids. These nucleic acid syntheses can provide a variety of well-designed nucleic acid structures. Thirdly, such nanomaterials are capable of control at a subnanometer level of precision due to their building units and chemical functionalization. Finally, the conformational change of the nanostructure can be induced depending on temperature, pH, ion, and enzymatic conditions. Therefore, nucleic acid nanotechnology for building nano

FAQs

Why are nucleic acid nanostructures considered valuable for nanotechnology?

They offer programmability through highly specific, predictable base-pairing, enable chemical or biological synthesis with defined sequences, and allow precise control through structural composition and functionalization.

How do nucleic acid-based amphiphilic micelles support cancer therapy?

Their hydrophilic/hydrophobic segments form micelles that encapsulate hydrophobic drugs in the core and present functional groups on the surface, while embedded DNA or RNA within biocompatible micelles can also function as drugs.

What cancer-related challenges motivate early diagnosis and appropriate treatment?

Cancer contributes substantially to global mortality and is difficult to treat because it can evade the immune system, proliferate rapidly and uncontrollably, and metastasize to different tissues.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo