Using Chitosan or Chitosan Derivatives in Cancer Therapy

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. Chemotherapeutic drugs have become a popular choice as anticancer agents. Despite the therapeutic benefits of chemotherapeutic drugs, patients often experience side effects and drug resistance. Biopolymers could be used to overcome some of the limitations of chemotherapeutic drugs, as well as be used either as anticancer agents or drug delivery vehicles. Chitosan is a biocompatible polymer derived from chitin. Chitosan, chitosan derivatives, or chitosan nanoparticles have shown their promise as an anticancer agent. Additionally, functionally modified chitosan can be used to deliver nucleic acids, chemotherapeutic drugs, and anticancer agents. More importantly, chitosan-based drug delivery systems improved the efficacy, potency, cytotoxicity, or biocompatibility of these anticancer agents. In this review, we will investigate the properties of chitosan and chemically tuned chitosan derivatives, and their application in cancer therapy.

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Novel Phospholipid-Based Labrasol Nanomicelles Loaded Flavonoids for Oral Delivery with Enhanced Penetration and Anti-Brain Tumor Efficiency

Current Drug Delivery ◽

10.2174/1567201817666200210120950 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (3) ◽

pp. 229-245

Author(s):

Gang Wang ◽

Junjie Wang ◽

Rui Guan

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Brain Tumor ◽

Oral Delivery ◽

Safe Delivery ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Therapeutic Benefits ◽

Delivery Vehicles ◽

The Brain

Background: Owing to the rich anticancer properties of flavonoids, there is a need for their incorporation into drug delivery vehicles like nanomicelles for safe delivery of the drug into the brain tumor microenvironment. Objective: This study, therefore, aimed to prepare the phospholipid-based Labrasol/Pluronic F68 modified nano micelles loaded with flavonoids (Nano-flavonoids) for the delivery of the drug to the target brain tumor. Methods: Myricetin, quercetin and fisetin were selected as the initial drugs to evaluate the biodistribution and acute toxicity of the drug delivery vehicles in rats with implanted C6 glioma tumors after oral administration, while the uptake, retention, release in human intestinal Caco-2 cells and the effect on the brain endothelial barrier were investigated in Human Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (HBMECs). Results: The results demonstrated that nano-flavonoids loaded with myricetin showed more evenly distributed targeting tissues and enhanced anti-tumor efficiency in vivo without significant cytotoxicity to Caco-2 cells and alteration in the Trans Epithelial Electric Resistance (TEER). There was no pathological evidence of renal, hepatic or other organs dysfunction after the administration of nanoflavonoids, which showed no significant influence on cytotoxicity to Caco-2 cells. Conclusion: In conclusion, Labrasol/F68-NMs loaded with MYR and quercetin could enhance antiglioma effect in vitro and in vivo, which may be better tools for medical therapy, while the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of nano-flavonoids may ensure optimal therapeutic benefits.

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Exploring Nanoemulsion for Liver Cancer Therapy

Current Cancer Therapy Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573394716666200302123336 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 260-268

Author(s):

Tanmay Upadhyay ◽

Vaseem A. Ansari ◽

Usama Ahmad ◽

Nazneen Sultana ◽

Juber Akhtar

Keyword(s):

Cancer Therapy ◽

Liver Cancer ◽

Treatment Plan ◽

Chemotherapeutic Drugs ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Chronic Hepatitis B Virus ◽

Anti Cancer ◽

B Virus ◽

Delivery Vehicles ◽

Liquid Dosage Form

Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide, accounting for 8.8 million deaths in 2015. Among these, at least 0.78 million people died of liver cancer alone. The recognized risk factors for liver cancer include chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, exposure to dietary aflatoxin, fatty liver disease, alcohol-induced cirrhosis, obesity, smoking, diabetes, and iron overload. The treatment plan for early diagnosed patients includes radiation therapy, tumour ablation, surgery, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy. Some sort of drug delivery vehicles has to be used when the treatment plan is targeted chemotherapy. Nanoemulsions are a class of biphasic liquid dosage form which are mixtures of oil and water stabilized by a surfactant. They are either transparent or bluish in hue and serve as a wonderful carrier system for chemotherapeutic drugs. These vehicles have a particle size in the range of 20-200 nm allowing them to be delivered successfully in the deepest of tissues. Recent publications on nanoemulsions reveal their acceptance and a popular choice for delivering both synthetic and herbal drugs to the liver. This work focuses on some anti-cancer agents that utilized the advantages of nanoemulsion for liver cancer therapy.

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Cancer therapy based on extracellular vesicles as drug delivery vehicles

Journal of Controlled Release ◽

10.1016/j.jconrel.2020.08.018 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 327 ◽

pp. 296-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Laura Cabeza ◽

Gloria Perazzoli ◽

Mercedes Peña ◽

Ana Cepero ◽

Cristina Luque ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Extracellular Vesicles ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Delivery Vehicles

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Extracellular Matrix Component Shelled Nanoparticles as Dual Enzyme-Responsive Drug Delivery Vehicles for Cancer Therapy

ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering ◽

10.1021/acsbiomaterials.8b00327 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (7) ◽

pp. 2404-2411 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Juan Zhou ◽

Mingyu Wang ◽

Huiyan Ying ◽

Dandan Su ◽

Huijie Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Extracellular Matrix ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Extracellular Matrix Component ◽

Matrix Component ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Delivery Vehicles

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HSA Coated Iron Oxide Nanoparticles as Drug Delivery Vehicles for Cancer Therapy

Molecular Pharmaceutics ◽

10.1021/mp200006f ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 1669-1676 ◽

Cited By ~ 130

Author(s):

Qimeng Quan ◽

Jin Xie ◽

Haokao Gao ◽

Min Yang ◽

Fan Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Iron Oxide ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Iron Oxide Nanoparticles ◽

Oxide Nanoparticles ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Delivery Vehicles

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E-Jet 3D-Printed Scaffolds as Sustained Multi-Drug Delivery Vehicles in Breast Cancer Therapy

Pharmaceutical Research ◽

10.1007/s11095-019-2687-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 36 (12) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Xiaoyin Qiao ◽

Yikun Yang ◽

Ruiying Huang ◽

Xuelei Shi ◽

Haoxiang Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Drug Delivery ◽

Cancer Therapy ◽

Breast Cancer Therapy ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

3D Printed ◽

Delivery Vehicles

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Controlled Drug Delivery Vehicles in Veterinary Oncology: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr8050541 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 541 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Patricia de Faria Lainetti ◽

Fernanda Zuliani ◽

Antonio Fernando Leis-Filho ◽

Ricardo Henrique Fonseca Alves ◽

Carlos Eduardo Fonseca-Alves

Keyword(s):

Drug Delivery ◽

Anticancer Agents ◽

Kinase Inhibitors ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Controlled Drug Delivery ◽

Chemotherapeutic Agents ◽

Drug Delivery Vehicles ◽

Controlled Systems ◽

Delivery Vehicles ◽

Future Direction

Controlled drug delivery systems can be used to carry several anticancer agents, including classical chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin, paclitaxel or cisplatin, and are also used for the encapsulation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. Usually, the controlled systems are used to decrease drug toxicity, increase local drug concentration or target specific organs or systems. In dogs, liposomal doxorubicin is the most known controlled drug delivery vehicle in veterinary medicine. However, several antitumor drugs can be encapsulated within these systems. Since the delivery vehicles are a relatively new topic in veterinary oncology, this review aims to discuss the current knowledge regarding the controlled drug delivery vehicles and discuss the current challenges and future direction of its use in veterinary oncology.

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