Title:Recent Advances in the Use of Metallic Nanoparticles with Antitumoral Action - Review
Volume: 26
Issue: 12
Author(s): Patricia Bento da Silva*, Rachel Temperani Amaral Machado, Andressa Maria Pironi, Renata Carolina Alves, Patricia Rocha de Araújo, Amanda Cutrim Dragalzew, Ingrid Dalberto and Marlus Chorilli*
Affiliation:
- Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Campus Araraquara, Department of Drug and Medicines, Araraquara, SP,Brazil
- Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Campus Araraquara, Department of Drug and Medicines, Araraquara, SP,Brazil
Keywords:
Metallic nanoparticles, nanotechnology, antitumor activity, copper, gold, iron, silver, titanium.
Abstract: The term cancer represents a set of more than 100 diseases that are caused due to
an uncontrolled growth of cells; and their subsequent spread to the other tissues and organs of
the body by a phenomenon, called ‘metastasis’. According to the estimates provided by the
World Health Organization (WHO), cancer is expected to account for about 10 million deaths
per year by 2020 and 21 million cancer cases, which may lead to 13 million deaths by 2030,
making cancer as the cause of highest mortality in contrast to other diseases. The search for
potential therapeutics against cancer, which can reduce the side-effects that occur due to the
difficulty of recognition between cancerous and normal cells, has ever been increased. In this
view, nanotechnology, especially metallic nanoparticles (MNPs), comes to aid in the development
of novel therapeutic agents, which may be synthesized or modified with the most diverse
functional chemical groups; this property makes the metallic nanoparticles suitable for
conjugation with already known drugs or prospective drug candidates. The biocompatibility,
relatively simple synthesis, size flexibility and easy chemical modification of its surface, all
make the metallic nanoparticles highly advantageous for opportune diagnosis and therapy of
cancer. The present article analyzes and reports the anti-tumor activities of 78 papers of various
metallic nanoparticles, particularly the ones containing copper, gold, iron, silver and titanium
in their composition.