Evidence mapPaperPMID 42358772Full record

ReviewChemical & biomedical imaging2026

pH-Responsive Materials for Therapy and Precision Biomedical Imaging.

Qing Wang, Zhibin Guo, Ziqun Chen, Caiyu Wang, Yahui Yang, Qi Shi, Qichao Gao, Hanping Li, Dongdong Zhang, Yi Liu and 1 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Chemical & biomedical imaging, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Qing WangState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Zhibin GuoState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Ziqun ChenState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Caiyu WangState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Yahui YangState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Qi ShiState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Qichao GaoState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-8478-2107
Hanping LiState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.
Dongdong ZhangDepartment of Oncology, Xiangyang Central Hospital, Hubei University of Arts and Science, Xiangyang 441021, China.
Yi LiuState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7626-0026
Yujiao LiuState Key Laboratory of Advanced Separation Membrane Materials, School of Chemistry & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology & School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300387, P. R. China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6878-1059

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) presents a key pathological hallmark that can be exploited for targeted therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. This review systematically outlines the design and application of pH-responsive materials in biomedical imaging and therapy, emphasizing their role in achieving spatial and temporal control over drug delivery and imaging contrast. We first detail the fundamental chemical mechanisms underpinning pH responsiveness, including dynamic covalent bonds (e.g., acylhydrazone, imine, orthoester, and borate ester), metal-ligand coordination bonds, and pH-dependent noncovalent interactions. These principles are then translated into a variety of nanocarrier platforms, such as polymeric micelles, liposomes, hydrogels, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), PROTAC conjugates, and self-assembling peptides, all of which are designed to undergo structural or functional changes in response to acidic conditions. The convergence of these smart materials with advanced imaging modalities has enabled transformative applications, including activatable probes for high-contrast functional imaging, multistimuli responsive theranostics, organelle-precision targeting, and spatiotemporally programmed release systems. These innovations collectively enhance diagnostic accuracy, therapeutic specificity, and the potential for real-time treatment monitoring. However, clinical translation remains challenged by issues related to reproducible synthesis, long-term biocompatibility, and the complex heterogeneity of

Indexed as

biomedical imagingnanocarrierspH-responsive materialssmart materialstargeted drug deliverytheranosticstumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID42358772
PMCPMC13292006

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.