Nanomedicine, an emerging therapeutic strategy for oral cancer therapy

Abstract

Oral cavity and oropharyngeal carcinomas (oral cancer) represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Despite efforts in improving early diagnosis and treatment, the 5-year survival rate of advanced stage of the disease is less than 63%. The field of nanomedicine has offered promising diagnostic and therapeutic advances in cancer. Indeed, several platforms have been clinically approved for cancer therapy, while other promising systems are undergoing exploration in clinical trials. With its ability to deliver drugs, nucleic acids, and MRI contrast agents with high efficiency, nanomedicine platforms offer the potential to improve drug efficacy and tolerability. The aim of the present mini-review is to summarize the current preclinical status of nanotechnology systems for oral cancer therapy. The nanoplatforms for delivery of chemopreventive agents presented herein resulted in significantly higher anti-tumor activity than free forms of the drug, even against a chemo-resistant cell line. Impressive results have also been obtained using nanoparticles to deliver chemotherapeutics, resulting in reduced toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Nanoparticles have also led to improvements in efficacy of photodynamic therapies through the development of targeted magnetic nanoparticles. Finally, gene therapy using nanoparticles demonstrated promising results specifically with regards to inhibition of gene expression. Of the few in vivo studies that have been reported, many of these used animal models with several limitations, which will be discussed herein. Lastly, we will discuss several future perspectives in oral cancer nanoparticle-based therapy and the development of appropriate animal models, distinguishing between oral cavity and oropharyngeal carcinoma.

Application of a New Validated HPLC-PDA Method for Simultaneous Determination of Curcumin and Melatonin in Hyaluronic Acid-Coated Nanoemulsions

“…22 Besides the high drug carrier capability, nanocarriers can accumulate passively into tumor tissue due to its inherited enhanced permeability owed to the presence of larger endothelial fenestrations of the tumor vasculature that allow extravasation of the submicrometric particles. 23 Considering the above mentioned, we have developed cationic nanoemulsions (NEs) co-encapsulating CUR and MEL intended to the treatment of the oral cavity cancers. Nanoemulsions (also known as miniemulsions) are kinetically stable emulsions with droplets size in the nanometric range.…”

The Hamster Model of Sequential Oral Carcinogenesis: An Update

“…The ability of the sequential carcinogenesis model, through the expression of specific biomarkers, to reveal the separate stages allows new targeted therapies to be developed. One such promising method for targeted therapy is the use of nanoparticles, as described by Marcazzan et al regarding inhibition of expression of specific genes (41). There are promising results using nanoplatforms for delivery of chemopreventive agents in order to reduce both in vitro and in vivo toxicity and therefore this methodology might be used to selectively inhibit relevant genes at each stage of cancer progression (41).…”

Anti‑EpCAM monoclonal antibody exerts antitumor activity against oral squamous cell carcinomas

“…Stage-I and -II OSCCs are treated with surgery or radiotherapy; advanced stage-III and -IV disease are treated with a combination of excision, radiation, and chemotherapy ( 14 ). Typically, chemotherapeutic regimens include cisplatin as a first-line agent; it is often combined with docetaxel or 5-fluorouracil ( 15 , 16 ). Other anticancer drugs, such as paclitaxel, methotrexate, and carboplatin, have also been used for OSCCs ( 17 ).…”