Emerging Nanopharmaceuticals and Nanonutraceuticals in Cancer Management

Abstract

Nanotechnology is the science of nanoscale, which is the scale of nanometers or one billionth of a meter. Nanotechnology encompasses a broad range of technologies, materials, and manufacturing processes that are used to design and/or enhance many products, including medicinal products. This technology has achieved considerable progress in the oncology field in recent years. Most chemotherapeutic agents are not specific to the cancer cells they are intended to treat, and they can harm healthy cells, leading to numerous adverse effects. Due to this non-specific targeting, it is not feasible to administer high doses that may harm healthy cells. Moreover, low doses can cause cancer cells to acquire resistance, thus making them hard to kill. A solution that could potentially enhance drug targeting and delivery lies in understanding the complexity of nanotechnology. Engineering pharmaceutical and natural products into nano-products can enhance the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Novel nano-formulations such as liposomes, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, quantum dots, nano-suspensions, and gold nanoparticles have been shown to enhance the delivery of drugs. Improved delivery of chemotherapeutic agents targets cancer cells rather than healthy cells, thereby preventing undesirable side effects and decreasing chemotherapeutic drug resistance. Nanotechnology has also revolutionized cancer diagnosis by using nanotechnology-based imaging contrast agents that can specifically target and therefore enhance tumor detection. In addition to the delivery of drugs, nanotechnology can be used to deliver nutraceuticals like phytochemicals that have multiple properties, such as antioxidant activity, that protect cells from oxidative damage and reduce the risk of cancer. There have been multiple advancements and implications for the use of nanotechnology to enhance the delivery of both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products in cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Selective Targeting of Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts by Engineered H-Ferritin Nanocages Loaded with Navitoclax

“…Many types of nanoparticulate delivery systems have been introduced preclinically for the development of smart anti-cancer treatments. The main advantages of this approach are (i) promoting specific target delivery by surface functionalization of the nanoagents, thus reducing side effects, and (ii) allowing the encapsulation of insoluble drugs, thus making them usable for parenteral administration [ 42 , 43 ]. In this study, we combined both advantages and developed new HFn-based nanodrugs functionalized with FAP-targeting ligands able to enhance Navitoclax delivery into FAP-overexpressing CAFs target cells.…”

Modulation of TLR/NF-κB/NLRP Signaling by Bioactive Phytocompounds: A Promising Strategy to Augment Cancer Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy

“…Multidrug resistance proteins (MRPs) decrease the efficacy of anticancer drugs and decrease drug penetration in cancer cells. An additional therapeutic approach involves identifying MDR biomarkers before or during the treatment program ( 22 , 23 ).…”

Cancer Nanopharmaceuticals: Physicochemical Characterization and In Vitro/In Vivo Applications

“…Nanopharmaceuticals of already known or new therapeutic molecules used for oncological patients’ therapy represent one of the newest solutions fulfilling the criteria of personalized medicine. These formulations include for example liposomes, dendrimers, polymeric micelles, gold nanoparticles, iron oxide nanoparticles, artificial exosomes, nanobubbles, silica-based systems, and lipid nanoparticles [ 188 , 189 ].…”

“…In turn, dendrimers, due to their branched structure, enable specific delivery of drugs and genes at the DNA or RNA level and also ensure specificity of the size and mass of the molecule. Dendrimers can also facilitate the penetration of hydrophilic nucleic acids through the cell membrane [ 188 , 189 ].…”