Insights on functionalized carbon nanotubes for cancer theranostics

Abstract

Despite the exciting breakthroughs in medical technology, cancer still accounts for one of the principle triggers of death and conventional therapeutic modalities often fail to attain an effective cure. Recently, nanobiotechnology has made huge advancement in cancer therapy with gigantic application potential because of their ability in achieving precise and controlled drug release, elevating drug solubility and reducing adverse effects. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), one of the most promising carbon-related nanomaterials, have already achieved much success in biomedical field. Due to their excellent optical property, thermal and electronic conductivity, easy functionalization ability and high drug loading capacity, CNTs can be applied in a multifunctional way for cancer treatment and diagnosis. In this review, we will give an overview of the recent progress of CNT-based drug delivery systems in cancer theranostics, which emphasizes their targetability to intracellular components of tumor cells and extracellular elements in tumor microenvironment. Moreover, a detailed introduction on how CNTs penetrate inside the tumor cells to reach their sites of action and achieve the therapeutic effects, as well as their diagnostic applications will be highlighted. Graphic Abstract

Versatile carbon nanoplatforms for cancer treatment and diagnosis: strategies, applications and future perspectives

“…Though the biological barriers and complex TME often impede the penetration of therapeutic agents into deep tumor sites, due to the needle-like nanostructures of CNTs, they can be easily internalized by many cell types, which enhances their tumor penetration in cancer treatment 91 . Besides, the ability of CNTs to absorb light energy in NIR window enables their application in PTT, which facilitates the multifunctional roles of CNTs to serve as both drug vectors and photothermal agents 92 . More interestingly, it was reported that CNTs can transform laser energy into acoustic signals and show great photoluminescence as well as Raman scattering in NIR regions, making them excellent candidates in cancer imaging 93 .…”

Cancer Targeting and Diagnosis: Recent Trends with Carbon Nanotubes

“…CNTs containing anti-tumor medicines have poor water solubility, yet this can be improved by surface modification. Proteins and surfactants added to the CNT surface have been proven to not only increase cancer-cell targeting but also minimize toxicity and boost therapeutic effects [116].…”

Use of Nanoparticles in Theranostics and Breath Analysis of Patients with Cancer

“…Finally, we also note that SWCNT is not the only nanomaterial that has been used to destroy cells. For example, Au nanoshells with a laser power of 4-35 W/cm2 and irradiation for 4 min were used in [32] for it. Many other NIR absorbing nanomaterials with lower laser power.…”