Review targeted drug delivery systems for norcantharidin in cancer therapy

Abstract

Norcantharidin (NCTD) is a demethylated derivative of cantharidin (CTD), the main anticancer active ingredient isolated from traditional Chinese medicine Mylabris. NCTD has been approved by the State Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of various solid tumors, especially liver cancer. Although NCTD greatly reduces the toxicity of CTD, there is still a certain degree of urinary toxicity and organ toxicity, and the poor solubility, short half-life, fast metabolism, as well as high venous irritation and weak tumor targeting ability limit its widespread application in the clinic. To reduce its toxicity and improve its efficacy, design of targeted drug delivery systems based on biomaterials and nanomaterials is one of the most feasible strategies. Therefore, this review focused on the studies of targeted drug delivery systems combined with NCTD in recent years, including passive and active targeted drug delivery systems, and physicochemical targeted drug delivery systems for improving drug bioavailability and enhancing its efficacy, as well as increasing drug targeting ability and reducing its adverse effects. Graphical Abstract

Norcantharidin inhibits the malignant progression of cervical cancer by inducing endoplasmic reticulum stress

“…Therefore, targeting ER stress-related signals to regulate tumor cell death may constitute a potential strategy for tumor treatment and intervention ( 18 ). NCTD is a novel synthetic antitumor drug with clear antitumor and leukocyte-enhancing effects ( 19 ), but its efficacy in treating cervical cancer alone has not been reported.…”

Curcumin induces ferroptosis and apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells by regulating Nrf2/GPX4 signaling pathway

“…[1][2][3] Even after aggressive surgical strategies, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, patients with osteosarcoma still have highly malignant and metastatic conditions with a poor prognosis. 4 Therefore, it is important to prevent the progression of osteosarcoma and develop targeted therapeutic strategies.…”

Hepatocyte-targeted delivery using oleanolic acid-loaded liposomes for enhanced hepatocellular carcinoma therapy

“…17 Therefore, the ASGPR-mediated pathway is considered one of the most effective approaches for liver-targeted delivery. 18,19 In this contest, lactobionic acid (LBA) could be a good choice to deliver galactose residues. 20 On the other hand, cationic chitosan (CTS) could not only bind covalently to LBA, but also bind to anionic liposomes through electrostatic interactions.…”