Systemic and Local Silk-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy

For years, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy have been the gold standards to treat cancer, although continuing research has sought a more effective approach. While advances can be seen in the development of anticancer drugs, the tools that can improve their delivery remain a challenge. As anticancer drugs can affect the entire body, the control of their distribution is desirable to prevent systemic toxicity. The application of a suitable drug delivery platform may resolve this problem. Among other materials, silks offer many advantageous properties, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, and the possibility of obtaining a variety of morphological structures. These characteristics allow the exploration of silk for biomedical applications and as a platform for drug delivery. We have reviewed silk structures that can be used for local and systemic drug delivery for use in cancer therapy. After a short description of the most studied silks, we discuss the advantages of using silk for drug delivery. The tables summarize the descriptions of silk structures for the local and systemic transport of anticancer drugs. The most popular techniques for silk particle preparation are presented. Further prospects for using silk as a drug carrier are considered. The application of various silk biomaterials can improve cancer treatment by the controllable delivery of chemotherapeutics, immunotherapeutics, photosensitizers, hormones, nucleotherapeutics, targeted therapeutics (e.g., kinase inhibitors), and inorganic nanoparticles, among others.

Download Full-text

A pillar[5]arene-based [2]rotaxane lights up mitochondria

Chemical Science ◽

10.1039/c6sc00036c ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 7 (5) ◽

pp. 3017-3024 ◽

Cited By ~ 98

Author(s):

Guocan Yu ◽

Dan Wu ◽

Yang Li ◽

Zhihua Zhang ◽

Li Shao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Anticancer Drugs ◽

Targeted Drug Delivery ◽

Therapeutic Agents ◽

Delivery Platform ◽

Targeted Drug ◽

Mitochondria Targeting

Here we integrate diagnostic and therapeutic agents into a mitochondria-targeting [2]rotaxane, which can be utilized as a drug delivery platform to conjugate anticancer drugs to prepare prodrugs for efficient targeted drug delivery.

Download Full-text

Reconstituted HDL: Drug Delivery Platform for Overcoming Biological Barriers to Cancer Therapy

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2018.01154 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Sangram Raut ◽

Linda Mooberry ◽

Nirupama Sabnis ◽

Ashwini Garud ◽

Akpedje Serena Dossou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Biological Barriers ◽

Delivery Platform

Download Full-text

Synthesis of surface capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles for pH-stimuli responsive drug delivery applications

MedChemComm ◽

10.1039/c7md00270j ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. 1797-1805 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Madhappan Santha Moorthy ◽

Subramanian Bharathiraja ◽

Panchanathan Manivasagan ◽

Kang Dae Lee ◽

Junghwan Oh

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Mesoporous Silica ◽

Silica Nanoparticles ◽

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles ◽

Drug Carrier ◽

Stimuli Responsive ◽

Ph Responsive ◽

Drug Delivery Applications

Herein, we propose a “host–guest” complexation-based mesoporous silica drug carrier, MSNs@Mela@TTM, for pH-responsive drug delivery applications in cancer therapy.

Download Full-text

Smart multifunctional drug delivery towards anticancer therapy harmonized in mesoporous nanoparticles

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c5nr02730f ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (34) ◽

pp. 14191-14216 ◽

Cited By ~ 93

Author(s):

Seonmi Baek ◽

Rajendra K. Singh ◽

Dipesh Khanal ◽

Kapil D. Patel ◽

Eun-Jung Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Anticancer Drugs ◽

Anticancer Therapy ◽

Mesoporous Nanoparticles

Effectiveness of the delivery of anticancer drugs and the efficacy of cancer therapy can be enhanced using smart multifunctional mesoporous nanoparticles.

Download Full-text

Anticancer drug nanomicelles formed by self-assembling amphiphilic dendrimer to combat cancer drug resistance

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1418494112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (10) ◽

pp. 2978-2983 ◽

Cited By ~ 204

Author(s):

Tuo Wei ◽

Chao Chen ◽

Juan Liu ◽

Cheng Liu ◽

Paola Posocco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Drug Resistance ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Drug Delivery System ◽

Anticancer Drug ◽

Delivery System ◽

Drug Carrier ◽

Drug Loading ◽

Cancer Drug ◽

Self Assembling

Drug resistance and toxicity constitute challenging hurdles for cancer therapy. The application of nanotechnology for anticancer drug delivery is expected to address these issues and bring new hope for cancer treatment. In this context, we established an original nanomicellar drug delivery system based on an amphiphilic dendrimer (AmDM), which could generate supramolecular micelles to effectively encapsulate the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) with high drug-loading capacity (>40%), thanks to the unique dendritic structure creating large void space for drug accommodation. The resulting AmDM/DOX nanomicelles were able to enhance drug potency and combat doxorubicin resistance in breast cancer models by significantly enhancing cellular uptake while considerably decreasing efflux of the drug. In addition, the AmDM/DOX nanoparticles abolished significantly the toxicity related to the free drug. Collectively, our studies demonstrate that the drug delivery system based on nanomicelles formed with the self-assembling amphiphilic dendrimer constitutes a promising and effective drug carrier in cancer therapy.

Download Full-text

An integrated targeting drug delivery system based on the hybridization of graphdiyne and MOFs for visualized cancer therapy

Nanoscale ◽

10.1039/c9nr02017a ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (24) ◽

pp. 11709-11718 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Zhongbo Xue ◽

Mengyao Zhu ◽

Yuze Dong ◽

Tong Feng ◽

Zhuozhi Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Drug Delivery System ◽

Delivery System ◽

Drug Carrier ◽

Tumor Therapy ◽

Framework Structure

Graphdiyne and UIO-66-NH2 form a framework structure as a drug carrier and apply to tumor therapy.

Download Full-text

Precise delivery of a multifunctional nanosystem for MRI-guided cancer therapy and monitoring of tumor response by functional diffusion-weighted MRI

Journal of Materials Chemistry B ◽

10.1039/c8tb03153c ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (18) ◽

pp. 2926-2937 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zeyu Xiao ◽

Leung Chan ◽

Dong Zhang ◽

Cuiqing Huang ◽

Chaoming Mei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Mr Imaging ◽

High Efficiency ◽

Tumor Response ◽

Diffusion Weighted Mri ◽

Diffusion Weighted ◽

Delivery Platform ◽

Mri Guided ◽

Cancer Theranostics

Herein we synthesize a cRGD peptide-conjugated PLGA nanosystem which is a high-efficiency drug-delivery platform for MR imaging-guided cancer theranostics.

Download Full-text

Anti-Angiogenic Therapy: Albumin-Binding Proteins Could Mediate Mechanisms Underlying the Accumulation of Small Molecule Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Normal Tissues with Potential Harmful Effects on Health

Diseases ◽

10.3390/diseases9020028 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 28

Author(s):

Nicolae Ghinea

Keyword(s):

Cancer Therapy ◽

Tyrosine Kinase ◽

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Small Molecule ◽

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase ◽

Binding Proteins ◽

Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Drug Carrier ◽

Albumin Binding ◽

Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

Anti-angiogenics currently used in cancer therapy target angiogenesis by two major mechanisms: (i) neutralizing angiogenic factors or their receptors by using macromolecule anti-angiogenic drugs (e.g., therapeutic antibodies), and (ii) blocking intracellularly the activity of receptor tyrosine kinases with small molecule (Mr < 1 kDa) inhibitors. Anti-angiogenics halt the growth and spread of cancer, and significantly prolong the disease-free survival of the patients. However, resistance to treatment, insufficient efficacy, and toxicity limit the success of this antivascular therapy. Published evidence suggests that four albumin-binding proteins (ABPs) (gp18, gp30, gp60/albondin, and secreted protein acidic and cysteine-rich (SPARC)) could be responsible for the accumulation of small molecule receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKIs) in normal organs and tissues and therefore responsible for the side effects and toxicity associated with this type of cancer therapy. Drawing attention to these studies, this review discusses the possible negative role of albumin as a drug carrier and the rationale for a new strategy for cancer therapy based on follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) expressed on the luminal endothelial cell surface of peritumoral blood vessels associated with the major human cancers. This review should be relevant to the audience and the field of cancer therapeutics and angiogenesis/microvascular modulation-based interventions.

Download Full-text