Applications of nanosystems to anticancer drug therapy (Part II. Dendrimers, micelles, lipid-based nanosystems)

Recent Pat Anticancer Drug Discov. 2014 Jan;9(1):99-128. doi: 10.2174/1574891x113089990038.

Abstract

The great efforts of many researchers have brought down some of the barriers that exist to turn a good in vitro compound into a potential in vivo drug. The advent of pharmaceutical nanotechnology has allowed an arsenal of drugs with poor stability, low solubility, high off-target toxicity and other disadvantageous features, to be accessible as pharmaceutical products that could be administered to a patient. Nanotechnology was introduced in drug delivery very long ago, but has flourished with unprecedented intensity during the last twenty years and now a diversity of nano-based preparations are at clinical stage of development or already available in the market. Undoubtedly, nanotechnology plays a key role in future pharmaceutical development and pharmacotherapy. In the first part of this review, we have already discussed recent (2008-2012) patents on linear polymer-based nanosystems (nanogels, nanospheres and nanocapsules) applications to cancer therapy. Here, we have expanded such analysis to branched polymers (dendrimers), self-assembling nanomicelles and lipid-based nanocarriers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / administration & dosage*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / chemistry
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Dendrimers / administration & dosage*
  • Dendrimers / chemistry
  • Dendrimers / therapeutic use
  • Drug Carriers / administration & dosage
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry
  • Drug Carriers / therapeutic use
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods
  • Drug Delivery Systems / trends
  • Humans
  • Liposomes / administration & dosage
  • Liposomes / chemistry
  • Liposomes / therapeutic use
  • Micelles*
  • Nanoparticles / administration & dosage*
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry
  • Nanoparticles / therapeutic use
  • Nanotechnology / methods
  • Nanotechnology / trends*
  • Neoplasms / chemistry
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Dendrimers
  • Drug Carriers
  • Liposomes
  • Micelles