Recent Advances in Lipid-based Nanodrug Delivery Systems in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, with every sixth death being attributable to cancer. Nevertheless, the efficacy of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs is often limited due to their poor solubility, unfavorable pharmacokinetic profile, and lack of tumor selectivity. The use of nanotechnology provides an opportunity to enhance the efficacy of a chemotherapeutic drug by improving its bioavailability and pharmacokinetic profile while facilitating preferential accumulation at the tumor tissue. To date, a variety ofplatforms have been investigated as nanocarriers in oncology, which include lipid-based, polymer-based, inorganic materials, and even viruses.Among different nanocarriers, lipid-based delivery systems have been extensively used in oncology because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability, ability to encapsulate diverse drug molecules, high temporal and thermal stability, and offer prolonged and controlled drug release. This review discusses the current status of the lipid-based nanocarriers and their applications in cancer treatment as well as an overview of the different nanoformulationslike liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles and nanostructured lipid carriers which are commercially available for cancer therapy.

A Recent Review on Cancer Nanomedicine

“…Among various nanocarriers, lipid-based formulations have been extensively investigated for cancer therapy [ 16 , 17 , 18 ]. As drug carriers, they offer myriad advantages, including excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, superior bioavailability, flexibility to incorporate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic therapeutics with large drug-loading capacities, prolonged and controlled drug release, and a set of programable physical and chemical features to control their biological properties [ 8 , 16 , 19 ]. Based on the composition and physicochemical features, lipid-based nanocarriers are divided into three main categories: liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs).…”

“…These beneficial properties of liposomes pave the way for their successful clinical implementation. Several liposomal formulations are currently in routine clinical use, and numerous others are in various stages of clinical trials or awaiting approval [ 16 , 27 , 28 ].…”

Dexamethasone: Insights into Pharmacological Aspects, Therapeutic Mechanisms, and Delivery Systems

“…Several medicinally active small molecules are biologically less potent because most of them are water-insoluble, resulting in severe side effects. , Recently, lipid-based nanoparticles (LNPs) have become versatile platforms for drug carriers of biologically active small molecules. − LNPs have many advantages over other NPs, such as ease of preparation, high thermal stability, low production costs, high loading capacity, preparation from natural sources, and being amenable to large-scale industrial manufacturing. − …”

The Role of Cryoprotective Agents in Liposome Stabilization and Preservation

“…The success of liposomes as drug carriers has been reflected in a number of liposome-mediated formulations that are currently available commercially and approved for use in clinical studies [ 48 ]. A sizable number of other anti-cancer medicines, including DaunoXome ® , Depocyt ® , Myocet and OnivydeTM [ 48 , 49 ], have been successfully produced since the first liposome formulation (Doxil ® ) was developed [ 50 ]. Furthermore, the use of liposomes is not only limited to the administration of anti-cancer therapies but also anti-bacterial, nucleic acids, anti-viral (Epaxal ® , Inflexal ® ), pain relief agents (DepoDur TM , Exparel ® ) and anti-fungal (Abelcet ® , Ambisome ® , Amphotec ® ) [ 40 , 41 , 42 , 51 , 52 , 53 ], as exhibited in Table 1 .…”