Advancements in redox-sensitive micelles as nanotheranostics: A new horizon in cancer management

World Health Organisation (WHO) delineated cancer as one of the foremost reasons for mortality with 10 million deaths in the year 2020. Early diagnosis and effective drug delivery are of utmost importance in cancer management. The entrapment of both bio-imaging dyes and drugs will open novel avenues in the area of tumor theranostics. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and glutathione (GSH) are the characteristic features of the tumor microenvironment (TME). Researchers have taken advantage of these specific TME features in recent years to develop micelle-based theranostic nanosystems. This review focuses on the advantages of redox-sensitive micelles (RSMs) and supramolecular self-assemblies for tumor theranostics. Key chemical linkers employed for the tumor-specific release of the cargo have been discussed. In vitro characterisation techniques used for the characterization of RSMs have been deliberated. Potential bottlenecks that may present themselves in the bench-to-bedside translation of this technology and the regulatory considerations have been deliberated.