Title:Trends in Nanomedicines for Cancer Treatment
Volume: 26
Issue: 29
Author(s): Tatielle do Nascimento, Adriane R. Todeschini, Ralph Santos-Oliveira, Mariana S. de Souza de Bustamante Monteiro, Vilênia T. de Souza and Eduardo Ricci-Júnior*
Affiliation:
- Laboratorio de Desenvolvimento Galenico, Farmacia Universitária, Centro de Ciencias da Saude, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro,Brazil
Keywords:
Cancer, nanocarrier, nanomedicines, nanosystems, nanotechnology, therapy.
Abstract:
Background: Cancer is characterized by abnormal cell growth and considered one of the leading
causes of death around the world. Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology has been extensively studied for the optimization
of cancer treatment.
Objective: Comprehend the panorama of Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology in cancer treatment, through a survey
about nanomedicines applied in clinical studies, approved for use and patented.
Methods: Acknowledged products under clinical study and nanomedicines commercialized found in scientific
articles through research on the following databases: Pubmed, Science Direct, Scielo and Lilacs. Derwent tool
was used for patent research.
Results: Nanomedicines based on nanoparticles, polymer micelles, liposomes, dendrimers and nanoemulsions
were studied, along with cancer therapies such as Photodynamic Therapy, Infrared Phototherapy Hyperthermia,
Magnetic Hyperthermia, Radiotherapy, Gene Therapy and Nanoimmunotherapy. Great advancement has been
observed over nanotechnology applied to cancer treatment, mainly for nanoparticles and liposomes.
Conclusion: The combination of drugs in nanosystems helps to increase efficacy and decrease toxicity. Based on
the results encountered, nanoparticles and liposomes were the most commonly used nanocarriers for drug encapsulation.
In addition, although few nanomedicines are commercially available, this specific research field is continuously
growing.