Advances in Nanoliposomes for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Liver Cancer

Abstract

The mortality rate of liver cancer is gradually increasing worldwide due to the increasing risk factors such as fatty liver, diabetes, and alcoholic cirrhosis. The diagnostic methods of liver cancer include ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), among others. The treatment of liver cancer includes surgical resection, transplantation, ablation, and chemoembolization; however, treatment still faces multiple challenges due to its insidious development, high rate of recurrence after surgical resection, and high failure rate of transplantation. The emergence of liposomes has provided new insights into the treatment of liver cancer. Due to their excellent carrier properties and maneuverability, liposomes can be used to perform a variety of functions such as aiding in imaging diagnoses, combinatorial therapies, and integrating disease diagnosis and treatment. In this paper, we further discuss such advantages.

Interventional nanotheranostics in hepatocellular carcinoma

“…Liposomes are also known as vesicles or simple lipids and are typically between 50 to 200 nm in size and spherical shaped. Phospholipids and cholesterols are the basic need to create liposomes 95 , 96 . Liposomes comprise a lipophilic bilayer and the hydrophilic core part which enables the encapsulation of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs into liposomes 97 .…”

“…The main purpose of encapsulation is to protect the active drug from degradation by the immune system 96 , 98 . Numerous biological applications, particularly in the field of drug administration, have been made possible by the distinctive qualities of liposomes, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, amphiphilicity, less toxic effects, non-ionicity, prolonged drug release, and site-specific action 96 , 99 . Liposomes are mainly used as drug carriers because of their superior carrier qualities and mobility.…”

“…Apart from surface engineering, attachment of targeting agents and polymer coating also improve targeted drug delivery. For instance, SP94‑targeted PEGylated liposomal DOX (SP94‑LD) which contains SP94 peptide onto polyethylene glycolate polymer coated (PEGylated) liposomes loaded with doxorubicin, shows tissue accumulation near cancerous cells by EPR effect and active targeting effect 88 , 96 . However, liposome interaction with cancerous cells is affected by liposome composition, diameter, charges present on surfaces, etc.…”

Current Trends in Nanotheranostics: A Concise Review on Bioimaging and Smart Wearable Technology

“…The success of the CT scan is justified by its ability to differentiate between soft tissues, water, and bones. Apart from barium sulfate, several different contrast agents based on iodine 20 , bismuth 21 ; use in picture), gold nanoparticles 22 , liposomes 23 have been employed as CT scan contrast agents. Yoo et al showed the fabrication of glutathione-sensitive gold nanoparticles designed by protecting the surface with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-bilirubin (BR) to obtain serum stable contrast agent (Figure 1 B).…”

Ultrasound and Nanomedicine for Cancer-Targeted Drug Delivery: Screening, Cellular Mechanisms and Therapeutic Opportunities

“…Liposomes consist of bilayers of lipids that contain phospholipids and cholesterol and are made up of hydrophilic nucleospheres measuring approximately 50-200 nanometers in size (Figure 7A,B). Due to their biocompatibility and enhanced targeting abilities, nanoparticles, such as daunorubicin and polyethylene glycol, are commonly used in cancer treatment to encapsulate and deliver drugs in vivo [109]. Moreover, liposomes can be used as contrast agents to assess differences between the distributions of drugs across tissues.…”