Thermosensitive liposomes for localized delivery and triggered release of chemotherapy

Abstract

Liposomes are a promising class of nanomedicine with the potential to provide site-specific chemotherapy, thus improving the quality of cancer patient care. First-generation liposomes have emerged as one of the first nanomedicines used clinically for localized delivery of chemotherapy. Second-generation liposomes, i.e. stimuli-responsive liposomes, have the potential to not only provide site-specific chemotherapy, but also triggered drug release and thus greater spatial and temporal control of therapy. Temperature-sensitive liposomes are an especially attractive option, as tumors can be heated in a controlled and predictable manner with external energy sources. Traditional thermosensitive liposomes are composed of lipids that undergo a gel-to-liquid phase transition at several degrees above physiological temperature. More recently, temperature-sensitization of liposomes has been demonstrated with the use of lysolipids and synthetic temperature-sensitive polymers. The design, drug release behavior, and clinical potential of various temperature-sensitive liposomes, as well as the various heating modalities used to trigger release, are discussed in this review.

Thermosensitive liposomal drug delivery systems: state of the art review

“…This is in contrast with previously published reviews, which have concentrated on particular TSL formulations 10,13,14 or image-guided drug delivery. 15,16 Novel paradigm of drug targeting: intravascular temperature-triggered drug release by external targeting…”

“…10,50,58 The release rate of doxorubicin from LTSL at 41.3°C was 80% in 20 seconds. 14 In comparison, TTSL released only 40% of its doxorubicin content in 30 minutes on heating to 42°C. 11,59 Complete regression of tumors was achieved in a preclinical xenograft mouse model using doxorubicin encapsulated in LTSL.…”

Low-melting-point polymeric nanoshells for thermal-triggered drug release under hyperthermia condition

“…Thermosensitive nanocarriers can be synthesised using a variety of organic and inorganic biomaterials such as lipids [3][4][5], self-assembling amphiphilic micelles [6][7][8], and biocompatible polymers [9][10][11] which exhibit thermally triggered drug release due to the gel-liquid, micellisation, and coil-globule phase transitions, respectively. In addition to a number of general parameters such as biocompatibility and biodegradability, the clinical efficacy of these thermosensitive nanocarriers in hyperthermia application mainly relies on the temperature range and discontinuity of their physical phase transition mechanisms [12].…”

Possible role of nanocarriers in drug delivery against cervical cancer

“…Nanomedicines implemented clinically for localized delivery are called first-generation liposomes. Stimuli-responsive liposomes having the ability to deliver site-specific chemotherapy as well as to provide triggered drug release are called second-generation liposomes and provide superior spatial and chronological run of therapy [41]. Stearyl amine-based positively charged multilayered liposomes loaded with paclitaxel (PTX) were prepared by a layer-by-layer technique.…”