Title:Co-delivery Strategies Based on Multifunctional Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy
VOLUME: 13 ISSUE: 8
Author(s):Hao Chen, Ying Zhao, Hai Wang, Guangjun Nie and Kaihui Nan
Affiliation:Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Key Laboratory for Ophthalmology & Optometry of Zhejiang Provence, Wenzhou, China.
Keywords:Nanotechnology, co-delivery of drugs, multifunctional nanoparticles, targeting, Cancer, Nanocarriers, co-delivery, MRI, cytotoxicity, Chemotherapy, tumors, aptamers, peptides, siRNA.
Abstract:Chemotherapy is among the most common means for clinicians in the fight against various types of tumors. However, severe
toxicity with undesirable toxic effects against normal tissues and cells significantly hinders the applications of these chemotherapeutic
agents and leads to multiple complications for patients. Recent developments of nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery platforms allow
simultaneous delivery of multiple chemotherapeutic agents to target different metabolic pathways of tumor cells, thus providing new opportunities
for higher therapeutic efficacy and lower cytotoxicity. Furthermore, multifunctional nanocarriers can also deliver diagnostic
agents, including MRI contrast agents and fluorescent probes, to achieve cancer diagnosis and therapy at the same time. This present review
discusses the various aspects of current co-delivery strategies and emphasizes the need for novel designs of biocompatible and non
or low toxic nanocarriers. Further studies on potential adverse effects of various nanocarriers are warranted.
