Nanotechnology-Based Cancer Treatments
Creators: name: Sundararajan R
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: 100708 Nanomaterials
subject: FOS: Nanotechnology
subject: FOS: Nanotechnology

description: Nanoparticles, nanosecond pulses and other nanotechnolgy-based systems could help enhance the efficacy of cancer therapies. For example, high intensity, nanosecond pulses have been used for prostate cancer treatments, without any drug and they have also been used with chemo drugs. Nanoparticles are used to upload varius genes and drugs using several methods, including electroporation. Many nanopartciles and nano-sized materials are utilized in clinical studies in medical oncology, including breast cancer. Doxil and Abraxane are FDA approved nanoformulations currently available in the market for cancer treatment. Doxil is a long circulating liposomal formulation of the anticancer drug doxorubicin, which has shown significant improvements over its traditional counterpart doxorubicin. Abraxane is used for metastatic breast cancer. It is an albumin-bound nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel. The injectionable form evades the hypersensitivity reaction associated with the solvent (Cremophor EL) used for paclitaxel. Abraxane nanopartcile of 100nm size and has the ability to convert insoluble or poorly soluble drugs, avoiding the use of toxic solvents. The attractive benefit of nanoparticles is their greater surface area for a given volume. Because reactions occur on the surface of a chemical substance, the greater the surface area the greater the reactivity. As particles becomes smaller in size, their surface area/volume ratio increases more and extend the benefits. Nanoparticles could be engineered to have surface modifications or be conjugated with folate, antibodies, adjuvants, ligands, antigens, enzymes, pH-sensitive agents, and other substances. Nanoparticles including gold and magnetic ones, could also be uploaded using electrical pulses of parameters, 1200V/cm, 100µs to 200V/cm, 20-40ms. By varying the number of pulses and the interval between the pulses or pulse trains, and with and without drugs, it is possible to enhance nanopartilce or nanomolecular uptake compared to the conventional uptake (known as reversible and irreversible techniques) up to 1000x. The delivery of nanoparticles depend on the physic-chemical factors, including the particle size, surface charge, protein absorption ability, surface hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity, drug loading and relative kinetics, stability, degradation of carrier systems, hydration behavior, electrophoretic mobility, porosity, specific surface characteristics, density, and crystallinity. In addition, it also depends on the dose and the administration routes (oral or parenteral, including delivery routés such as intravenous, pulmonary, transdermal and ocular, in the case of in vivo). Electrical pulse-mediated nanoparticles is a less conventional one, but has promising potential when applicable. Also, for biomedical application, their toxicity is an important concern and they should be stable at room temperatures in water or at neutral pH, they should not aggregate, and should be biocompatible. Their surface coating should be physiologically well tolerated