Role of Block Copolymer Nanoconstructs in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Drug, gene, and protein delivery is a very challenging and exciting area in nanobiotechnology where block copolymers are increasingly considered especially as carriers for pharmacotherapy of various cancers. Cancer chemotherapy is particularly challenging because of nonselective distribution of drugs, associated severe toxicity, multidrug resistance, and chronic treatments influencing the quality-adjusted life of patients. These limitations lead to incomplete cure and render many drugs ineffective in treating cancers. Liposomes are currently more advanced in clinical trials and industrial developments but they lack stability and pose difficulties in functionalizing liposomes. More recently, various types of polymer-based nanoconstructs have been designed and synthesized, and are being investigated for the cancer chemotherapy applications. This review discusses the most significant and recent developments on specific self-assembled block copolymers as a carrier system such as micelles and vesicles, which can be successfully used to enhance the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, helpful in targeting selective sites in the body, delivering active molecules in a control manner, and reducing the side effects in the treatment of cancer.

Polymersomes from Polypeptide Containing Triblock Co- and Terpolymers for Drug Delivery against Pancreatic Cancer: Asymmetry of the External Hydrophilic Blocks

“…Amongst the nanocarriers tested as suitable DDS, polymeric aggregates [6][7][8][9] and hyperbranched polymers [10,11] show some unique properties. Polymersomes along with liposomes are the only nanocarriers that can physically encapsulate hydrophilic drugs in their aqueous interior and/or hydrophobic agents within their lamellar membranes.…”

Amphiphilic PEO‐b‐PBLG Diblock and PBLG‐b‐PEO‐b‐PBLG Triblock Copolymer Based Nanoparticles: Doxorubicin Loading and In Vitro Evaluation

“…NPs offer a new method of tumor targeting improving the efficacy, and decreasing the toxicity of existing or novel anticancer agents. Among the numerous classes of colloidal systems, polymer‐based NPs represent one of the most promising opportunities for treatment of many diseases . A recent review describes in an exhaustive way the potential of these kind of drug delivery systems and highlights the importance of being persistent in the study of these NP systems as diagnostic and therapeutic tools against several diseases .…”

“…Among the numerous classes of colloidal systems, polymerbased NPs represent one of the most promising opportunities for treatment of many diseases. [1][2][3] A recent review describes in an exhaustive way the potential of these kind of drug delivery systems and highlights the importance of being persistent in the study of these NP systems as diagnostic and therapeutic tools against several diseases. [4] Polymeric NPs allow modifying some of the most fundamental properties of the classical therapeutic carriers, such as solubility, diffusivity, biodistribution, release characteristics, and immunogenicity yielding longer circulation half-lives, superior bioavailability, and lower toxicity.…”

Drug release kinetics, cell uptake, and tumor toxicity of hybrid VVVVVVKK peptide-assembled polylactide nanoparticles

“…For example, NPs that can overcome the short half-life and low solubility of chemotherapeutic drugs in physiological medium and selectively pass through the leaky tumor vasculature are very useful in cancer therapy [2, 3]. Furthermore, NPs grafted with multifunctional ligands can enhance drug targeting by specific interaction with cell surface receptors [4, 5].…”

“…Polylactide (PLA) and copolymers with glycolide are widely used to synthesize biodegradable NPs [13]. Although chemotherapeutic agents are stabilized in the PLA matrix against dissolution by hydrophobic interaction and drug release kinetics is controlled by matrix degradation [3], surface active agents are used to prevent NPs aggregation, reduce the initial burst release, or improve the cell uptake of NPs [14–17]. These active agents include amphiphilic PEG-based copolymers [18, 19], biomolecules such as vitamin E [16], peptides [20, 21], and proteins [22].…”