Applications of Aptamer-Bound Nanomaterials in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Cancer is still a major disease that threatens human life. Although traditional cancer treatment methods are widely used, they still have many disadvantages. Aptamers, owing to their small size, low toxicity, good specificity, and excellent biocompatibility, have been widely applied in biomedical areas. Therefore, the combination of nanomaterials with aptamers offers a new method for cancer treatment. First, we briefly introduce the situation of cancer treatment and aptamers. Then, we discuss the application of aptamers in breast cancer treatment, lung cancer treatment, and other cancer treatment methods. Finally, perspectives on challenges and future applications of aptamers in cancer therapy are discussed.

Application of aptamer functionalized nanomaterials in targeting therapeutics of typical tumors

“…T, S15, anti-EGFR, and so on. Rotoli et al have made a comprehensive summary on aptamer-targeted drug delivery system ( Zhu et al, 2021 ), so we will not repeat them here. In this article, we mainly introduce the latest experimental research of aptamers nanomaterials in therapeutics of lung cancer.…”

“…The incidence of breast cancer accounts for 24.2% of all female cancers in the world, and 52.9% in developing countries ( Zhu et al, 2021 ), which is the second leading cause of female death in the world at present ( Şahin et al, 2020 ). Up to now, the treatment of breast cancer mainly depends on systemic and local treatment.…”

“…There are about 841,000 new cases and 782,000 deaths every year ( Zhang et al, 2021b ). According to the relevant forecast of the World Health Organization, the number of deaths due to liver cancer will reach 1 million in 2030 ( Zhu et al, 2021 ). HCC is a kind of disease which is difficult to detect in the early stage and develops rapidly.…”

Aptamer-mediated hollow MnO 2 for targeting the delivery of sorafenib

“…In addition, the introduction of targeted ligands enhances the contrast between the imaging target and the background, and increases the concentration of drugs in tumor cells, improving the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment. Specifically, aptamers (L. Zhu et al., 2021 ), an oligopoly DNA with specific targeting recognition, can bind to the target with high affinity and specificity, possessing the advantages of low immunogenicity and easily-modified properties, which makes it an ideal approach for the targeting diagnosis and treatment of diseases.…”

Nanoprobes for Tumor Theranostics

“…Therefore, the combination of nanomaterials with aptamers offers a new method for cancer treatment. Liangxi Zhu et al [ 10 ] briefly introduced this topic. They discussed the application of aptamers for the treatment of breast, lung, and other cancers.…”