Brain tumors arise from an uncontrolled proliferation of neural tissue cells or supportive glial tissue cells within the brain. The diagnosis and therapy of brain tumor is an extremely challenging task. Moreover, absence of early stage symptoms and consequently delays in diagnosis and therapy worsen its severity. Though in the present days, chemotherapeutic approach is the most common therapeutic approach; still it is linked with several precincts. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is the main hurdle in delivering most of the chemotherapeutic agents as well as imaging agent that leads to insufficient accumulation of therapeutic / imaging agents at tumor site, and prevents adequate destruction of malignant cells. Recently, lipid based nanoparticles are gaining much more interest and are preferred over polymeric nanoparticles owing to their biodegradability, non-toxicity, excellent tumortargeting ability and ease of surface modification. Certain receptors are over expressed in brain tumor cells which confer an opportunity to the researchers for delivering the chemotherapeutic as well as imaging agent particularly to the tumor cells through the surface modification approach of nanoparticles. Ligands like proteins/peptides, carbohydrates, aptamers, antibodies, and antibody fragments are generally conjugated to the surface of the nanoparticles that bind specifically to an over expressed target on the brain tumor cell surface. In the present review, we discuss the diagnostic and therapeutic application of various types of lipid based nanoparticles such as liposomes, niosomes, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carrier, lipid nanocapsule, and lipid polymer hybrid nanocarriers along with their various surface modified forms for targeting brain tumor.
Background:
Health is a lively state of the body which adjusts and adopt
with the response to various environmental changes. There are several features that
can influence the health status of human beings. Therefore, the continuous research
study is highly essential to maintain a proper health care system in the community.
Objective:
The diverse area of innovation was made in nanotechnology for
diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening diseases, such as obesity, diabetes,
cardiovascular disorders, cancer, leukemia, neurodegenerative disorders like
Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's diseases, etc. Nanotechnology generally refers
to the materials, devices, and systems in nanoscale which provides considerably
improved physical, chemical and biological property.
Methods:
It is technology which deals with the design, synthesis, characterization
of substances, devices and systems by arranging shape and size at their nanometer
scale. It involves multidisciplinary research which includes both health science and
technology for the treatment of human health. Nanotechnology can be applied at
the cellular level in the human body with a high degree of specificity to treat the
various diseases.
Conclusion:
This technology is potentially targeted to diseased tissue to achieve
maximum therapeutic efficacy with fewer side effects. Nowadays, the rapidity of
revolutionary discoveries in the field of nanotechnology is expected to accelerate in
the next decade globally.
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