Nano Trends – A Journal of Nano Technology & Its Applications Review Article
A Comprehensive Review: Emerging Nanotechnology in Cancer Drug Delivery
Abstract
Nanotechnology has become a groundbreaking strategy in cancer therapy, especially in drug delivery systems, offering improved treatment effectiveness while minimizing the adverse effects associated with traditional methods. This review presents an in-depth analysis of recent progress in nanotechnology for cancer drug delivery, emphasizing the design, mechanisms, and practical applications of nanoparticle-based systems. Nanoparticles, such as liposomes, dendrimers, and gold nanoparticles, offer unique advantages, including improved drug solubility, targeted delivery to tumor cells, and controlled release of therapeutic agents. These systems can be designed to target cancerous tissues specifically, reducing harm to healthy cells and substantially enhancing the therapeutic index. The review also highlights varioufis strategies for achieving targeted drug delivery, such as passive targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention effect, and active targeting using surface modifications like antibodies or ligands that bind specifically to cancer cell receptors. Moreover, incorporating imaging functionalities into nanoparticles enables real-time tracking of treatment progress and evaluation of tumor response. The potential of multifunctional nanoparticles, which can combine drug delivery, imaging, and treatment monitoring, is also explored. Despite the promising benefits, challenges related to nanoparticle stability, scaling up production, and regulatory hurdles remain. This review concludes by discussing future directions for research and development in cancer nanomedicine, emphasizing the need for personalized treatment strategies and the continued evolution of nanotechnology to improve patient outcomes
Keywords
References (28)
- Hartland A, Lead JR, Slaveykova VI, O’Carroll D, Valsami-Jones E. The environmental significance of natural nanoparticles. Nature Education Knowledge. 2013;4(8):7.
- Johnston LJ, Gonzalez-Rojano N, Wilkinson KJ, Xing B. Key challenges for evaluation of the safety of engineered nanomaterials. NanoImpact. 2020;18:100219. doi:10.1016/j.impact.2020.100219
- Jeevanandam J, Barhoum A, Chan YS, Dufresne A, Danquah MK. Review on nanoparticles and nanostructured materials: history, sources, toxicity and regulations. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology. 2018;9:1050-1074. doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.98
- Yadav HK, Almokdad AA, Sumia IM, Debe MS. Polymer-based nanomaterials for drug-delivery carriers. In: Nanocarriers for drug delivery. Elsevier; 2019. pp. 531–556.
- Ramasamy T, Tran TH, Cho HJ, Kim JH, Kim YI, Jeon JY, et al. Chitosan-Based Polyelectrolyte Complexes as Potential Nanoparticulate Carriers: Physicochemical and Biological Characterization. Pharmaceutical Research. 2013;31(5):1302-1314. doi:10.1007/s11095-013-1251-9
- Shameli K, Bin Ahmad M, Jaffar Al-Mulla EA, Ibrahim NA, Shabanzadeh P, Rustaiyan A, et al. Green Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles Using Callicarpa maingayi Stem Bark Extraction. Molecules. 2012;17(7):8506-8517. doi:10.3390/molecules17078506
- Daniyal M, Liu B, Wang W. Comprehensive Review on Graphene Oxide for Use in Drug Delivery System. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 2020;27(22):3665-3685. doi:10.2174/13816128256661902011296290
- Hosseini SM, Mohammadnejad J, Salamat S, Beiram Zadeh Z, Tanhaei M, Ramakrishna S. Theranostic polymeric nanoparticles as a new approach in cancer therapy and diagnosis: a review. Materials Today Chemistry. 2023;29:101400. doi:10.1016/j.mtchem.2023.101400
- Zoi V, Giannakopoulou M, Alexiou GA, Bouziotis P, Thalasselis S, Tzakos AG, et al. Nuclear Medicine and Cancer Theragnostics: Basic Concepts. Diagnostics. 2023;13(19):3064. doi:10.3390/diagnostics13193064
- Indoria S, Singh V, Hsieh MF. Recent advances in theranostic polymeric nanoparticles for cancer treatment: A review. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2020;582:119314. doi:10.1016/j.ijpharm.2020.119314
- Chehelgerdi M, Chehelgerdi M, Allela OQB, Pecho RDC, Jayasankar N, Rao DP, et al. Progressing nanotechnology to improve targeted cancer treatment: overcoming hurdles in its clinical implementation. Molecular Cancer. 2023;22(1). doi:10.1186/s12943-023-01865-0
- Allen TM, Cullis PR. Liposomal drug delivery systems: From concept to clinical applications. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2013;65(1):36-48. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2012.09.037
- Bonartsev AP, Bonartseva GA, Reshetov IV, Shaitan KV, Kirpichnikov MP. Application of Polyhydroxyalkanoates in Medicine and the Biological Activity of Natural Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate). Acta Naturae. 2019;11(2):4-16. doi:10.32607/20758251-2019-11-2-4-16
- Sarode RJ, Mahajan HS. Dendrimers for drug delivery: An overview of its classes, synthesis, and applications. J Drug Del Sci Tech. 2024:105896. doi: 1016/j.jddst.2024.105896.
- Jeong WY, Kwon M, Choi HE, Kim KS. Recent advances in transdermal drug delivery systems: a review. Biomaterials Research. 2021;25(1). doi:10.1186/s40824-021-00226-6
- Ruiz Ciancio D, Vargas MR, Thiel WH, Bruno MA, Giangrande PH, Mestre MB. Aptamers as Diagnostic Tools in Cancer. Pharmaceuticals. 2018;11(3):86. doi:10.3390/ph11030086
- Jain RK. Transport of Molecules, Particles, and Cells in Solid Tumors. Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering. 1999;1(1):241-263. doi:10.1146/annurev.bioeng.1.1.241
- Torchilin V. Tumor delivery of macromolecular drugs based on the EPR effect. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews. 2011;63(3):131-135. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2010.03.011
- Yap KM, Sekar M, Fuloria S, Wu YS, Gan SH, Mat Rani NNI, et al. Drug Delivery of Natural Products Through Nanocarriers for Effective Breast Cancer Therapy: A Comprehensive Review of Literature. International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2021;Volume16:7891-7941. doi:10.2147/ijn.s328135
- Huang H, Liu R, Yang J, Dai J, Fan S, Pi J, et al. Gold Nanoparticles: Construction for Drug Delivery and Application in Cancer Immunotherapy. Pharmaceutics. 2023;15(7):1868. doi:10.3390/pharmaceutics15071868
- Ferrari M. Frontiers in cancer nanomedicine: directing mass transport through biological barriers. Trends in Biotechnology. 2010;28(4):181-188. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2009.12.007
- Tran P, Lee SE, Kim DH, Pyo YC, Park JS. Recent advances of nanotechnology for the delivery of anticancer drugs for breast cancer treatment. Journal of Pharmaceutical Investigation. 2019;50(3):261-270. doi:10.1007/s40005-019-00459-7
- Liu P, Chen G, Zhang J. A Review of Liposomes as a Drug Delivery System: Current Status of Approved Products, Regulatory Environments, and Future Perspectives. Molecules. 2022;27(4):1372. doi:10.3390/molecules27041372
- Xu J, Cao W, Wang P, Liu H. Tumor-Derived Membrane Vesicles: A Promising Tool for Personalized Immunotherapy. Pharmaceuticals. 2022;15(7):876. doi:10.3390/ph15070876
- Zafar MS, Amin F, Fareed MA, Ghabbani H, Riaz S, Khurshid Z, et al. Biomimetic Aspects of Restorative Dentistry Biomaterials. Biomimetics. 2020;5(3):34. doi:10.3390/biomimetics5030034
- Shahbazi MA, Shrestha N, Pierchala MK, Kadumudi FB, Mehrali M, Hasany M, et al. A self-healable, moldable and bioactive biomaterial gum for personalised and wearable drug delivery. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 2020;8(19):4340-4356. doi:10.1039/c9tb02156f
- Choi HK, Choi MY, Haizan I, Choi JH. Plasmonic Nanobiosensors for Early Diagnosis of Cancers. In: Handbook of Cancer and Immunology. 2024. pp. 1–49.
- Hernández Becerra E, Quinchia J, Castro C, Orozco J. Light-Triggered Polymersome-Based Anticancer Therapeutics Delivery. Nanomaterials. 2022;12(5):836. doi:10.3390/nano12050836