scholarly journals Polymeric Nanocarriers: A Transformation in Doxorubicin Therapies

Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2135
Author(s):  
Kamila Butowska ◽  
Anna Woziwodzka ◽  
Agnieszka Borowik ◽  
Jacek Piosik

Doxorubicin, a member of the anthracycline family, is a common anticancer agent often used as a first line treatment for the wide spectrum of cancers. Doxorubicin-based chemotherapy, although effective, is associated with serious side effects, such as irreversible cardiotoxicity or nephrotoxicity. Those often life-threatening adverse risks, responsible for the elongation of the patients’ recuperation period and increasing medical expenses, have prompted the need for creating novel and safer drug delivery systems. Among many proposed concepts, polymeric nanocarriers are shown to be a promising approach, allowing for controlled and selective drug delivery, simultaneously enhancing its activity towards cancerous cells and reducing toxic effects on healthy tissues. This article is a chronological examination of the history of the work progress on polymeric nanostructures, designed as efficient doxorubicin nanocarriers, with the emphasis on the main achievements of 2010–2020. Numerous publications have been reviewed to provide an essential summation of the nanopolymer types and their essential properties, mechanisms towards efficient drug delivery, as well as active targeting stimuli-responsive strategies that are currently utilized in the doxorubicin transportation field.

Author(s):  
Kamila Butowska ◽  
Anna Woziwodzka ◽  
Agnieszka Borowik ◽  
Jacek Piosik

Doxorubicin, a member of the anthracycline family, is a common anticancer agent often used as a first line treatment for the wide spectrum of cancers. Doxorubicin-based chemotherapy, although effective, is associated with serious side effects, such as irreversible cardiotoxicity or nephrotoxicity. Those often life-threatening adverse risks, responsible for the elongation of the patients' recuperation period and increasing medical expenses, have prompted the need for creating novel and safer drug delivery systems. Among many proposed concepts, polymeric nanocarriers are shown to be a promising approach, allowing for controlled and selective drug delivery simultaneously enhancing its activity towards cancerous cells and reducing toxic effects on healthy tissues. This article is a chronological examination of the history of the work progress on polymeric nanostructures, designed as efficient doxorubicin nanocarriers, with the emphasis on the main achievements of 2010-2020. Numerous publications have been reviewed to provide an essential summation of the nanopolymer types and their essential properties, mechanisms towards efficient drug delivery, as well as active targeting stimuli-responsive strategies that are currently utilized in the doxorubicin transportation field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (05) ◽  
pp. 349-353
Author(s):  
Fahmi Nasrallah ◽  
Sameh Hadj-Taieb ◽  
Amel Ben Chehida ◽  
Awatef Jelassi ◽  
Sana Ben Massoued ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim The aim of the study is to report on epidemiological, clinical, and biochemical characteristics of nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) in Tunisia. Methods Patients diagnosed with NKH in Laboratory of Biochemistry at Rabta hospital (Tunis, Tunisia) between 1999 and 2018 were included. Plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) free amino acids were assessed by ion exchange chromatography. Diagnosis was based on family history, patient's clinical presentation and course, and increased CSF to plasma glycine ratio. Results During 20 years, 69 patients were diagnosed with NKH, with 25 patients originating from Kairouan region. Estimated incidences were 1:55,641 in Tunisia and 1:9,684 in Kairouan. Consanguinity was found for 73.9% of the patients and 42% of the families have history of infantile death due to a disease of similar clinical course than the propositus. Clinical symptoms initiated within the first week of life in 75% of the patients and within the first 3 months in 95.7% ones. The phenotype was severe in 76.8% of the patients. Main symptoms were hypotonia, feeding difficulties, coma, apnea, and seizures. Most patients died within few days to months following diagnosis. CSF to plasma glycine ratio was increased in all patients. CSF and plasma glycine levels were negatively correlated with age of disease onset and severity. Conclusion NKH is quite frequent in Tunisia. Kairouan region has the highest NKH incidence rate, worldwide. However, due to lack of confirmatory enzymatic and genetic tests, NKH diagnosis was based on first-line biochemical tests. Characterization of causal mutations is needed for accurate diagnosis and prenatal diagnosis of this devastating life-threatening disease.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 92-96
Author(s):  
Irsalina Husna Azwir ◽  
Khairuddin Djawad ◽  
Nurelly N. Waspodo ◽  
Asnawi Madjid

Abstract Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially life-threatening bullous autoimmune disease that can be triggered by various factors, one of which is pregnancy. Cases of pregnancy induced pemphigus are rare, and can result in devastating outcomes, both from the maternal or fetal perspectives if not treated promptly and adequately. The use of systemic corticosteroids is paramount to improve the outcome of the patient and fetus and it is a first-line treatment for the disease. Patients with a history of pemphigus should plan their pregnancies carefully, taking into consideration a minimum of 6 months remission before conception. This case report is about a 28-year-old woman with a history of pemphigus vulgaris that did not seek medical treatment of her pemphigus, which resulted in the intrauterine fetal death. The patient was treated with systemic corticosteroids and achieved great resolution to her blisters and overall wellbeing.


2012 ◽  
Vol 153 (39) ◽  
pp. 1527-1535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoltán Balogh ◽  
János Mátyus

Metformin is the first-line, widely used oral antidiabetic agent for the management of type 2 diabetes. There is increasing evidence that metformin use results in a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and might have anticancer activity. An extremely rare, but potentially life-threatening adverse effect of metformin is lactic acidosis, therefore, its use is traditionally contraindicated if the glomerular filtrate rate is below 60 mL/min. However, lactic acidosis is always associated with acute events, such as hypovolemia, acute cardiorespiratory illness, severe sepsis and acute renal or hepatic failure. Furthermore, administration of insulins and conventional antihyperglycemic agents increases the risk of severe hypoglycemic events when renal function is reduced. Therefore, the magnitude of the benefit of metformin use would outweigh potential risk of lactic acidosis in moderate chronic renal disease. After reviewing the literature, the authors give a proposal for the administration of metformin, according to the calculated glomerular filtrate rate. Orv.Hetil., 2012, 153, 1527–1535.


2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 857-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma E. Ahmed ◽  
Nahid Awad ◽  
Vinod Paul ◽  
Hesham G. Moussa ◽  
Ghaleb A. Husseini

Conventional chemotherapeutics lack the specificity and controllability, thus may poison healthy cells while attempting to kill cancerous ones. Newly developed nano-drug delivery systems have shown promise in delivering anti-tumor agents with enhanced stability, durability and overall performance; especially when used along with targeting and triggering techniques. This work traces back the history of chemotherapy, addressing the main challenges that have encouraged the medical researchers to seek a sanctuary in nanotechnological-based drug delivery systems that are grafted with appropriate targeting techniques and drug release mechanisms. A special focus will be directed to acoustically triggered liposomes encapsulating doxorubicin.


Author(s):  
Feng Wu ◽  
Fei Qiu ◽  
Siew Anthony Wai-Keong ◽  
Yong Diao

Background: In recent years, the emergence of stimuli-responsive nanoparticles makes drug delivery more efficient. As an intelligent and effective targeted delivery platform, it can reduce the side effects generated during drug transportation while enhancing the treatment efficacy. The stimuli-responsive nanoparticles can respond to different stimuli at corresponding times and locations to deliver and release their drugs and associated therapeutic effects. Objective: This review aims to inform researchers on the latest advances in the application of dual-stimuli responsive nanoparticles in precise drug delivery, with special attention to their design, drug release properties, and therapeutic effects. Syntheses of nanoparticles with simultaneous or sequential responses to two or more stimuli (pH-redox, pH-light, redoxlight, temperature-magnetic, pH-redox-temperature, redox-enzyme-light, etc.) and the applications of such responsivity properties for drugs control and release have become a hot topic of recent research. Methods: A database of relevant information for the production of this review was sourced, screened and analyzed from Pubmed, Web of Science, SciFinder by searching for the following keywords: “dual-stimuli responsive”, “controlled release”, “cancer therapy”, “synergistic treatment”. Results: Notably, the nanoparticles with dual-stimuli responsive function have an excellent control effect on drug delivery and release, playing a crucial part in the treatment of tumors. They can improve the encapsulation and delivery efficiency of hydrophobic chemotherapy drugs, combine chemo-photothermal therapies, apply imaging function in the diagnosis of tumors and even conduct multi-drugs delivery to overcome multi-drugs resistance (MDR). Conclusion: With the development of smart dual-stimuli responsive nanoparticles, cancer treatment methods will become more diverse and effective. All the stimuli-responsive nanoparticles functionalities exhibited their characteristics individually within the single nanosystem.


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