Combinatorial Nanoparticles for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy

Abstract

Nanotechnology when engineered together with biotechnology opens a fascinating field with applications in diverse areas such as drug targeting and delivery, medical imaging, biosensing, biomaterials and nanotechnology. Conjugating nanoparticles with biomolecules like QD-herceptin conjugates or QD-aptamer (Apt)-DOX conjugates provides many opportunities for improving many of the current challenges in cancer diagnosis and therapy. This paper reviews combinatorial nanoparticles designed and formulated for cancer imaging and therapy, including inorganic nanoparticles (quantum dots, iron oxide particles, gold nanoparticles and silica and carbon nanoparticles), polymeric nanoparticles (PLGA, PLGA-PEG, PAMAM), liposomes and lipid nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are multifunctional in nature and combine two or more functions like targeting, imaging and therapy. In this review, we have classified these combinatorial targeted nanoparticles into inorganic, polymeric and liposome based nanosystems.

Nanoparticles Engineered with Rituximab and Loaded with Nutlin-3 Show Promising Therapeutic Activity in B-Leukemic Xenografts

“…To improve the delivery and efficacy of this drug for the treatment of solid tumors, recent studies have used Nutlin-3 encapsulated into poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NP; refs. 8, 9), PLGA being the most used polymer for the preparation of drug delivery systems (10,11).…”

Theranostic liposomes for cancer diagnosis and treatment: current development and pre-clinical success

“…Next generations of theranostic liposomes such as liposome--nanoparticle hybrids including stimulus responsive functions (e.g., pH, temperature, magnetism and ultrasound) for triggering drug release at targeted and controlled manner, have to be developed. In future, theranostic technology has to be integrated into successful platforms such as polymeric nanoparticles, gold nanomaterials, carbon nanotubes, silica nanoparticles and magnetic nanoparticles [14].…”

Biodegradable nanoparticles containing benzopsoralens: An attractive strategy for modifying vascular function in pathological skin disorders

“…Similar behavior has been described in relation to external morphology using different drugs loaded into nano and microparticles when the solvent-evaporation technique was applied. 50,57,58 The success of this process depends primarily on the retention of the hydrophobic active compound within the polymer-containing organic phase from which the matrix is formed after evaporation of the solvent. [58][59][60] The high value (74%) of the BP entrapment efficiency for the NP is consistent with the hydrophobic character of the compound.…”