Folic acid functionalized nanoparticles as pharmaceutical carriers in drug delivery systems

Abstract

Conventional chemotherapeutic approaches in cancer therapy such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy have several disadvantages due to their nontargeted distributions in the whole body. On the other hand, nanoparticles (NPs) based therapies are remarkably progressing to solve several limitations of conventional drug delivery systems (DDSs) including nonspecific biodistribution and targeting, poor water solubility, weak bioavailability and biodegradability, low pharmacokinetic properties, and so forth. The enhanced permeability and retention effect escape from Pglycoprotein trap in cancer cells as a passive targeting mechanism, and active targeting strategies are also other most important advantages of NPs in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Folic acid (FA) is one of the biologic molecules which has been targeted overexpressed-folic acid receptor (FR) on the surface of cancer cells. Therefore, conjugation of FA to NPs most easily enhances the FR-mediated targeting delivery of therapeutic agents. Here, the recent works in FA which have been decorated NPs-based DDSs are discussed and cancer therapy potency of these NPs in clinical trials are presented. K E Y W O R D Scancer diagnosis and therapy, folic acid, nanoparticles, nanotechnology, targeted drug delivery

Folic Acid and PEI Modified Mesoporous Silica for Targeted Delivery of Curcumin

“…Overexpression of the folate receptor has been found on the surface of most malignant tumors, but few exist on the surface of normal cells [21]. FA has the beneficial characteristics of small molecular weight, simple chemical properties, and no immunogenicity, which make it an ideal ligand for targeted cancer therapy [22,23]. FA-modified carrier materials loaded with anticancer drugs can bind to highly-expressed folic acid receptors on the surface of cancer cells, thus increasing the drug concentration at the tumor sites and reducing toxic side effects on normal cells.…”

Innovative Nanotechnological Formulations to Reach the Hepatic Stellate Cell

“…The alternative approach is active targeting which involves the coupling of homing moieties to the nanoparticle. Nanoparticles functionalized with folate or antibodies are well-studied constructs in the cancer field [69]. Focusing on the last 5 years, several innovative strategies have been examined in the field of HSC targeting (summarized in Fig.…”

Micro/Nanorobot: A Promising Targeted Drug Delivery System

“…[10]), small molecules (folic acid, etc. [11]), and other different receptor ligands [2]. Although the connection between ligands and receptors can facilitate the active targeted nanoparticles' binding effect to the target site, the carriers are actually incapable of directly finding the targets [12].…”