Title:Recent Nanocarrier Approaches for Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy
Volume: 14
Author(s): Rohit Bhatia, Amit Sharma, Raj K. Narang and Ravindra K. Rawal*
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, Maharishi Markandeshwar (Deemed to be University), Mullana-133207, Haryana,India
Keywords:
Nanocarriers, specificity, dendrimers, nanotubes, MSNs, quantum dots.
Abstract: Cancer is one of the most serious health concerns in the 21st century whose prevalence is
beyond boundaries and can affect any organ of the human body. The conventional chemotherapeutic
treatment strategies lack specificity to tumors and are associated with toxic effects on the immune
system and other organ systems. In the past decades, there has been continuous progress in
the development of smart nanocarrier systems for target-specific delivery of drugs against a variety
of tumors, including intracellular gene-specific targeting. These nanocarriers are able to recognize
the tumor cells and deliver the therapeutic agent in fixed proportions, causing no or very less harm
to healthy cells. Nanosystems have modified physicochemical properties, improved bioavailability,
and long retention in blood, which enhances their potency. A huge number of nanocarrier based formulations
have been developed and are in clinical trials. Nanocarrier systems include polymeric micelles,
liposomes, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, etc. Recent advancements in
nanocarrier systems include mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), metal organic frameworks,
and quantum dots. In the present review, various nanocarrier based drug delivery systems, along
with their applications in the management of cancer, have been described with special emphasis on
MSNs.
