Nanobiomaterials in Cancer Therapy

Nanobiomaterials in Cancer Therapy

Applications of Nanobiomaterials Volume 7
2016, Pages 281-306
Nanobiomaterials in Cancer Therapy

Chapter 9 - Chitosan nanoparticles for efficient and targeted delivery of anticancer drugs

https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-42863-7.00009-8Get rights and content

Abstract

Cancer has become one of the most lethal and prevalent malignancies in both developing and developed countries. Although the introduction of advanced treatment modalities along with proper diagnosis is slowly reducing cancer-related morbidity and mortality of patients to an extent, cancer-associated deaths are still enormously high compared to any other diseases. Several advanced treatment strategies such microRNA- and siRNA-mediated, specific and personalized therapies are now slowly advancing for treatment of various types of cancers. On the downside, the success of current therapies is primarily limited due to tumor recurrence, metastasis, and acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic or specific targeted therapies. Nanotechnology-mediated delivery of anticancer drugs is rapidly emerging as an alternative approach. Nanotechnology offers several advantages such as: (i) better delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs; (ii) cell- or tissue-targeted delivery of drugs; (iii) delivery of two or more drugs for combination therapy; and (iv) imaging drug-delivery sites in combination with imaging strategies. Nanoparticles fabricated from chitosan, a biocompatible, biodegradable cationic polymer, have been largely explored for the efficient and targeted delivery of anticancer drugs. The drug delivery efficiency can be influenced by one or a combination of more than one aspect such as the structure of the polymer, size, shape, constitution of the nanoparticles, and behavior of nanoparticles in physiological milieu. Herein, the recent advancement in application of chitosan nanoparticles for anticancer drug delivery and the factors dictating the efficacy of drug delivery have been discussed.

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