Advances in Carbon Nanotubes: Revolutionizing Cancer Diagnosis and Targeted Therapy.

“Smart” materials-based near-infrared light-responsive drug delivery systems for cancer treatment: A review

Computational modeling enables researchers to study and understand various complex biological phenomena in anticancer drug delivery systems (DDSs), especially nano-sized DDSs (NSDDSs). The combination of NSDDSs and therapeutic ultrasound (TUS), that is, focused ultrasound and low-intensity pulsed ultrasound, has made significant progress in recent years, opening many opportunities for cancer treatment. Multiple parameters require tuning and optimization to develop effective DDSs, such as NSDDSs, in which mathematical modeling can prove advantageous. In silico computational modeling of ultrasound-responsive DDS typically involves a complex framework of acoustic interactions, heat transfer, drug release from nanoparticles, fluid flow, mass transport, and pharmacodynamic governing equations. Owing to the rapid development of computational tools, modeling the different phenomena in multi-scale complex problems involved in drug delivery to tumors has become possible. In the present study, we present an in-depth review of recent advances in the mathematical modeling of TUS-mediated DDSs for cancer treatment. A detailed discussion is also provided on applying these computational models to improve the clinical translation for applications in cancer treatment. This article is categorized under: Nanotechnology Approaches to Biology > Nanoscale Systems in Biology Therapeutic Approaches and Drug Discovery > Nanomedicine for Oncologic Disease.

Nanoparticle-delivered gallic acid: A new frontier in cancer therapy

Standard drug delivery systems for cancer treatment usually comprise a device with a specific size and shape (depending on the type of cancer that has to be treated), which is composed by a biodegradable compound with a chemotherapeutic entrapped within it. This device should have a molecule (mainly a protein) bound to its surface to target only cancer cells. On the contrary, supercritical fluids (SCF) have been widely used in the pharmaceutical industry for creating drug delivery systems or for extracting drugs from natural sources. This review explains the potential of SCFs for cancer therapies by studying the current uses of the different high-pressure processes that can be useful for this medical treatment, such as the development of new drug delivery systems (with their drug release) or the extraction of chemotherapeutics from a vegetal matrix.

Chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane as a suitable in vivo model to evaluate drug delivery systems for cancer treatment: A review

Cancer remains one of the most significant global health challenges, with conventional treatments limited by side effects and resistance to drugs. The unique properties of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which offer high surface areas, tunable structures, and biodegradable properties, make them promising candidates for cancer therapy. This review focuses on MOF-based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment in biomedical applications. This article discusses various synthesis methods, drug-loading strategies, and cytotoxicity considerations. The relationship between the basic chemistry of MOFs and their biomedical applications is elucidated by how each feature directly affects MOF performance in cancer drug delivery. Therefore, this review is a practical and complete guide for researchers working to translate MOFs into effective cancer treatments. Moreover, the role of stimuli-responsive MOFs in cancer therapy is highlighted, along with recent studies demonstrating the effectiveness of MOF-based drug delivery systems. Overall, MOFs offer opportunities for advancing cancer treatment and controlled drug delivery.

The decrease in cancer mortality indicates an improvement in cancer treatment and management. One strategy that has been a focus in cancer treatment is development of drug delivery systems (DDS). Lipid-based nanoparticles (e.g. liposomes or micelles) has been used in current DDS as vehicles to transport active molecules. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), a new player in DDS, consist of lipid and thus, can be categorized as lipid-based nanoparticles. EVs are derived from cells and harbour various targeting molecules from their origin cells. Therefore, EVs are not foreign to the host immune system and may be more effective and efficient than other synthetic nanoparticles to target solid tumours with a minimum adverse effect, providing an exciting alternative for lipid-based DDS. Active molecules can be loaded into EV endogenously by exposing cells with active molecules to generate EVs carrying these molecules, or exogenous loading using physical or chemical methods. In this review, we summarise the recent developments of EV-based DDS where the choice of donor cells, drug cargo, loading methods, and administration routes are discussed. Further, consideration of the bioavailability and biodistribution of EVs, as well as current challenges concerning the potential biosafety issue and standardized up-scale production of EVs are highlighted.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vital mediators of intercellular communication, helping to transfer bioactive molecules to target cells and demonstrating significant potential in antitumor therapy. Currently, EVs are primarily utilized in clinical applications such as biomarker discovery, cell-free therapeutic agents, drug delivery systems, pharmacokinetic studies, and cancer vaccines. Plant-derived EVs (P-EVs) contain a range of lipids, proteins, nucleic acids, and other metabolite cargos, and it is possible to extract them from various plant tissues, including juice, flesh, and roots. These vesicles perform multiple biological functions, including modulating cellular restructuring, enhancing plant immunity, and defending against pathogens. P-EVs have also been investigated in various clinical trials due to their promising therapeutic properties. In the context of precision medicine, selectively inhibiting solid tumor growth while preserving the viability of normal human cells remains a primary objective of cancer therapy. However, the tumor microenvironment (TME) supports tumor progression through the facilitation of immune evasion, supplying nutrients, and promoting invasive growth, metastatic processes, and treatment resistance. Consequently, the development of novel antitumor agents is essential. Owing to their inherent therapeutic properties and potential as treatment vectors, natural P-EVs represent a promising biocompatible platform for targeted solid tumor therapy. These vesicles may contribute to remodeling the TME and enhancing antitumor immunity, offering innovative avenues for cancer treatment and improved human health.

Safety of novel liposomal drugs for cancer treatment: Advances and prospects

Extracellular vesicles as an emerging drug delivery system for cancer treatment: Current strategies and recent advances

Anti-Netrin-1 decorated nanoparticles combined with chemotherapy for the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer

Advances in nanotechnology have paved the way for innovative drug delivery systems that enhance the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Cancer cell membrane‐based nanoparticles (CCM‐NPs) and cancer cell‐derived small extracellular vesicles (CsEVs) are emerging as promising drug delivery systems for cancer treatment due to their inherent properties such as low immunogenicity and natural targeting capabilities to cancer cells. However, a comprehensive comparison of the advantages, disadvantages, and similarities of these two platforms is lacking. This review summarizes the natural, engineered, and hybrid forms of CCM‐NPs and CsEVs‐based drug delivery platforms with a focus on comparison of these two platforms, considering key aspects including preparation methods, drug encapsulation strategies, delivery pathways, immune evasion, targeting ability, and their potential for clinical applications. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, the aim is to pave the way for next‐generation nanoscale drug delivery platforms and contribute to the development of more effective and personalized cancer therapies.

The development of selective tumor targeting agents to deliver multiple units of chemotherapy drugs to cancer tissue would improve treatment efficacy and greatly advance progress in cancer therapy. Here we report a new drug delivery system based on a tetrabranched peptide known as NT4, which is a promising cancer theranostic by virtue of its high cancer selectivity. We developed NT4 directly conjugated with one, two, or three units of paclitaxel and an NT4-based nanosystem, using NIR-emitting quantum dots, loaded with the NT4 tumor-targeting agent and conjugated with paclitaxel, to obtain a NT4-QD-PTX nanodevice designed to simultaneously detect and kill tumor cells. The selective binding and in vitro cytotoxicity of NT4-QD-PTX were higher than for unlabeled QD-PTX when tested on the human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29. NT4-QD-PTX tumor-targeted nanoparticles can be considered promising for early tumor detection and for the development of effective treatments combining simultaneous therapy and diagnosis.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme, is widely used as a chemo preventive agent against human cancers. As proteins are susceptible to denaturation at acidic pH when given orally, it results in low bioavailability. Therefore, bromelain encapsulated poly (lactide-co-glycolic) acid nanoparticles, BR-PLGA were formulated and coated with acidic pH resistive polymer, Eudragit, in order to provide stability against degradation in the acidic pH. Physiochemical characterization of particles was carried out. The proteolytic activity and the structure integrity of bromelain after encapsulation were calculated. The release kinetics was also evaluated to explain the mechanism of drug release. A comparative study involving BR-PLGA and free bromelain was done to demonstrate their antitumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo. The particles (145.6±9.85nm) were prepared with 48±4.81% entrapment efficiency. Mathematical analysis of the release kinetics indicated that bromelain release followed Higuchi release model. Also, the coated nanoparticles showed ~40% reduction in burst release at acidic pH (~1.5). Further, the particles were found to be stable in various simulated GIT media. In-vitro chemo sensitivity assay revealed ~7-10 folds reduction in IC <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">50</sub> . These results were also corroborated by in vivo observations. Eudragit coated Bromelain loaded nanoparticles could be a promising delivery system for cancer treatment.

Nanorobots are safe and exhibit powerful functionalities, including delivery, therapy, and diagnosis. Therefore, they are in high demand for the development of new cancer therapies. Although many studies have contributed to the progressive development of the nanorobot system for anticancer drug delivery, these systems still face some critical limitations, such as potentially toxic materials in the nanorobots, unreasonable sizes for passive targeting, and the lack of several essential functions of the nanorobot for anticancer drug delivery including sensing, active targeting, controlling drug release, and sufficient drug loading capacity. Here, we developed a multifunctional nanorobot system capable of precise magnetic control, sufficient drug loading for chemotherapy, light-triggered controlled drug release, light absorption for photothermal therapy, enhanced magnetic resonance imaging, and tumor sensing. The developed nanorobot system exhibits an in vitro synergetic antitumor effect of photothermal therapy and chemotherapy and outstanding tumor-targeting efficiency in both in vitro and in vivo environments. The results of this study encourage further explorations of an efficient active drug delivery system for cancer treatment and the development of nanorobot systems for other biomedical applications.