An understanding of mitochondria and its role in targeting nanocarriers for diagnosis and treatment of cancer

Abstract

Nanotechnology has changed the entire paradigm of drug targeting and has shown tremendous potential in the area of cancer therapy due to its specificity. In cancer, several targets have been explored which could be utilized for the better treatment of disease. Mitochondria, the so-called powerhouse of cell, portrays significant role in the survival and death of cells, and has emerged as potential target for cancer therapy. Direct targeting and nanotechnology based approaches can be tailor-made to target mitochondria and thus improve the survival rate of patients suffering from cancer. With this backdrop, in present review, we have reemphasized the role of mitochondria in cancer progression and inhibition, highlighting the different targets that can be explored for targeting of disease. Moreover, we have also summarized different nanoparticulate systems that have been used for treatment of cancer via mitochondrial targeting.

A Nanomedicine Structure–Activity Framework for Research, Development, and Regulation of Future Cancer Therapies

“…In normal mammalian cells, the mitochondria execute a controlled regulation over the growth-death cycle through the mediation of apoptosis, energy production, amino acid metabolism, and redox signaling, among other roles. In cancerous cells, however, the Warburg effect, where the anaerobic glycolysis rate in the mitochondria dramatically increases to accommodate cancerous growth, plays a fundamental role in cancer initiation and progression. − Furthermore, tumors frequently produce high mitochondrial ROS levels that invoke genetic instability and tumorigenesis . Consequently, mitochondrial dysfunction is a metabolic hallmark of cancer cells .…”

Nanomedicine potentiates mild photothermal therapy for tumor ablation

“…This strategy would endow the mPTT with enhanced safety and anti-tumor efficiency for potential clinical applications. Apart from the tumor cell targeting, the organelle-targeting strategy should be exploited in the design of mPTT nanomedicines for efficient tumor suppression, because the organelles are vulnerable to mild hyperthermia [ 132 , 133 ].…”

Advances in Intracellular Calcium Signaling Reveal Untapped Targets for Cancer Therapy

“…The effectiveness of small molecule inhibitors of Ca 2+ signaling could be increased by leveraging the advancements made in the nanocarrier-based targeted drug delivery systems. For example, taking from the design of Antp-LP4 related peptides (VDAC1 inhibitors), Venetoclax (a Bcl2 inhibitor) can be encapsulated in inorganic (such as gold nanoparticle or quantum dots) or organic nanocarriers (such as liposomes) coated with transferrin to specifically target cancer cells that demonstrate significant surface expression of transferrin receptors [ 445 , 482 , 483 ]. However, some studies have also highlighted the independent effect of nanoparticles themselves on the regulation of Ca 2+ signaling [ 479 ].…”