Applications of Nanoparticles for Anticancer Drug Delivery: A Review

Abstract

Biodegradable nanometer-sized particles have novel structural and physical properties that are attracting great interests from pharmaceuticals for the targeted delivery of anticancer drugs and imaging contrast agents. These smart nanoparticles are designed to ferry chemotherapeutic agents or therapeutic genes into malignant cells while sparing healthy cells. In this review, we describe currently clinically used chemotherapeutics in nanoparticle formulation and discuss the current status of nanoparticles developed as targeting delivery systems for anticancer drugs, with emphasis on formulations of micelles, liposome, polymeric nanoparticles, gold nanoparticle dendrimers, and bionanocapsules.

Induction of apoptosis in response to improved gedunin by liposomal nano-encapsulation in human non-small-cell lung cancer (NCI-H292) cell line

“…The physico-chemical characteristics of nanoparticles hold crucial implications for their capacity as drug delivery vehicles, their fate and toxicity [5][6]. As shown in Table 1 the encapsulation efficiency of liposomes (86.82%) was as high as those produced by other researchers [22] , but the ones used in the present study were of larger size distribution (394 nm), and had an anionic zeta potential (-54) in contrast to their cationic liposomes.…”

“…Unlike anionic liposomes, cationic liposomes cause induction of cellular stress and change in gene expression [22]. Most of the phosphatidylcholines usually used for liposomal drug delivery have been proven as non-toxic [5,6]. Particle size is instrumental to enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect, cellular internalization, sub-cellular trafficking, degradation and clearance.…”

“…Further, drug resistance, rapid degradation of the drug, large dosage requirement, and undesirable toxicity are also existing challenges [4]. Research on nanopharmaceuticals has helped overcome these challenges and a number of nano-material-based therapeutic approaches have been used for cancer treatment while some are under clinical development [5]. Lipid-based nano-particles (liposomes) have gained much attention as they possess some unique properties such as conjugation with targeting moieties like antibodies, ease of degradation under specific conditions, and drug-cargo-carrying capacity [6].…”

Nanotoxicology of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles

“…Silica nanoparticles are important nanomaterials in biomedical applications such as nanocarriers for drug delivery systems [50,51]. Silica nanoparticles are widely used in industry, biomedical engineering and cosmetics [52].…”

“…Several papers have described the toxicity of silica nanoparticles [50]. The nanotoxicity of amorphous SiO2 nanoparticles (10 nm) on human lung submucosal cells is associated with inflammation, release of ROS leading to apoptosis, and decreased cell survival [96].…”