A Review on Nanopharmaceuticals in cancer therapy

Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide (about 7 million deaths/year, 13% of deaths worldwide). Chemo- therapy is one of the most important treatments currently available among the various approaches. The present status of chemotherapy is far from being satisfactory. Its efficacy is limited and patients have to suffer from seri- ous side effects. The use of nanotechnology in cancer treatment offers some exciting possibilities, including the possibility of destroying cancer tumors with minimal damage to healthy tissue and organs, as well as the detection and elimination of cancer cells before they form tumors. Most efforts to improve cancer treatment through nano- technology are at the research or development stage. Novel approaches using nanopharmaceuticals like dendri- mers, liposomes, gold nanoparticles, nanorods, nanoshells, micelles etc. offer solutions in various areas of sarco- ma therapy including diagnosis and treatment. Several varieties of nanopharmaceuticles, including multifunctional nanoparticles, are available that localize the biodistribution of conventional chemotherapeutics to the tumor site. Also, nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs have the ability to overcome drug resistance which is a major obstacle impeding the progress of the treatment. Multifunctional nanoparticles, which have the potential to further augment the bioavailability of drugs, are being actively investigated. In this paper, possible treatment of cancer using various nanopharmaceuticals is presented. In addition, the toxicity considerations of nanopharma- ceuticals in cancer treatment and their regulatory aspects are also discussed.