Synthesis and biomedical applications of fluorescent nanogels

Abstract

Fluorescent nanogel is an innovative biomedical material with hydroscopicity, degradability, and responsiveness. It has attracted increasing attention over the past few years due to the unique fluorescence properties provided by different fluorophores. In this review, we focused on the recent advances in the synthesis and biomedical applications of fluorescent nanogels that are doped with organic compounds, metal nanoparticles (NPs) and quantum dots (QDs). The fabrication technologies of these utilized methods for creating fluorescent nanogels were discussed. At the same time, we highlighted four biomedical applications based on fluorescent nanogels, including drug delivery, tissue engineering, bioimaging, and biosensors. Moreover, the fluorescence mechanisms of different fluorophores were roughly mentioned. Finally, the key challenges and outlooks of fluorescent nanogels in this rapid developing field for biomedical applications were given. We believe that fluorescent nanogels will have a bright future in the analytical and biomedical area.