Abstract:

Nucleic acid aptamers are single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid（ssDNA）or ribonucleic acid（RNA）composed of 20 to 100 nucleotides, and are generally screened by systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment（SELEX）. Aptamers can specifically bind to a variety of target substances, including toxins, metal ions, biological macromolecules, microorganisms, etc., and have been widely used in food detection, medical diagnosis, and other fields. As the most basic unit of the human body, cells are the focus of research on the pathological mechanism and treatment strategy of most diseases. In recent years, nucleic acid therapy has become the focus of research in the field of disease treatment with the advantages of safer and more efficient one. Researchers realized that the targeted binding ability of nucleic acid aptamers can be applied to cell targeted therapy. Cell-specific aptamers are different from traditional aptamers in that their specific targets are cellular components. They can directly bind to substances related to cell growth and metabolism to affect cell physiological activities, and can also be used as targeted delivery tools to deliver drugs, which has a breakthrough effect in the precision treatment of diseases. Cell-specific nucleic acid aptamers have attracted much attention. In this article, we review the research progress of cell-specific nucleic acid aptamers in the treatment of a variety of diseases in order to provide reference for their application in the treatment of human diseases.

Key words: nucleic acid aptamers, cell-specific, nucleic acid therapy, targeted therapy, disease treatment