A new study, which is forthcoming in Materials Today: Proceedings, has focused on highlighting nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems and targeted delivery approaches for anticancer medication. The authors highlighted the importance of developing plant-based nanoparticles that can be explored to develop novel anticancer chemotherapeutics.
Cancer Treatment and Nanotechnology
To date, one of the biggest causes of death around the world is cancer. Some of the common drugs used in cancer therapy are alkylating agents, cytotoxic antibiotics, antimetabolites, and steroidal hormones. Many anticancer medications are antiproliferative and, thereby, damage DNA and kill cells. Additionally, several side effects, including decreased wound healing, bone marrow depression, growth retardation in young individuals, and alopecia, have been associated with anticancer treatments. It is, therefore, crucial to develop effective anticancer medicines with minimal side effects.
Researchers have linked some of the factors associated with most clinically utilized anticancer medicines to adverse side-effects. These factors include low water solubility, unsuitability for oral administration, short biological half-life, and poor specificity. Nanotechnology has immensely benefitted cancer diagnosis and treatment. Scientists have indicated that the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) phenomenon has helped to passively target tumor cells. In this system, nanocarriers laden with lethal drugs can target the tumor tissues in a well-designed nanoparticulate system.
Researchers have used nanotechnology platforms for chemotherapy, where well-established conventional anticancer medications, packed into a nano-sized carrier, are delivered to the targeted sites. One of the main advantages of this system is that nanocarriers, owing to their small size, can penetrate through smaller capillaries and are taken up by cells. These cells permit drug accumulation at the target sites. Additionally, biodegradable materials for nanoparticles enable sustained drug release in the specific site over days or even weeks. Scientists have also indicated one of the disadvantages of this method: the high cost. Furthermore, owing to the small size of the nanomaterials, it can cause inhalation problems and other health hazards.
Targeted Drug Delivery and Plant-Based Nanoparticles
Researchers have developed metallic nanoparticles, particularly silver nanoparticles, for cancer treatment. Silver nanoparticles possess unique optoelectronic and physicochemical features and can be synthesized easily. Additionally, several studies have revealed that silver nanoparticles contain antimicrobial and anti-neoplastic properties.
Silver nanoparticles are synthesized via different physical and chemical methods; however, such methods are expensive and consume a significant amount of energy. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles via chemical reduction involves utilizing harmful chemicals and sometimes poses toxicity threats. Interestingly, scientists discovered that plant extracts are more efficient compared to microbial extracts in the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles. One of the advantages of using plant extracts is that the risk of microbial contamination or infection throughout the synthesis process is much reduced.
Synthesis of Different Nanoparticles and Cancer Treatments
Silver salts are the main source of silver ions. During the bioreduction process, plant extracts act as reducing agents to transform the ions into atoms, followed by nucleation in tiny clusters that expand into particles. The type of reducing agents determines the shape and size of nanoparticles. To avoid aggregation and obtain smaller nanoparticles, capping agents are used.
Carbon nanotubes are small, cylindrical-shaped carbon-based nanoparticles that can absorb near-infrared light wavelengths while passing through cells without harming them. When carbon nanotubes are exposed to a beam of near-IR light, the nanotube’ electrons are excited and the excess energy is released in the form of heat, which can thermally kill cancer cells in vivo.
As cancer cells have numerous folate receptors on their surfaces, nanotubes coated with folate molecules can easily target diseased cells. Carbon nanotubes can deliver therapeutic molecules or drugs to cancerous cells. Interestingly, researchers functionalized these nanoparticles with specific functional groups to manipulate their physical and biological properties.
Dendrimers are sphere-shaped macromolecules that can encapsulate hydrophobic medicinal ingredients. These nanoparticles are divided into three sections: the central core, branching units, and terminal functional groups. Primarily, the core determines the environment of nanocavities and their solubilizing characteristics. Dendrimers can be synthesized in various sizes and shapes, with multiple polar and non-polar layers. Their high-water solubility, monodispersity, and capsulation ability are widely used for drug delivery.
Conclusion
Researchers have highlighted that various plant extracts have been used in the green synthesis of metallic nanoparticles, particularly gold and silver nanoparticles. However, not many methods are available that are related to the plant-based synthesis of carbon nanotubes and dendrimers. As these nanoparticles are widely used in cancer therapy, developing effective formulation targeting methodologies for plant-based synthesis is essential.
![](https://www.nanoappsmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/spacer.jpg)
News
Breakthrough in Antimicrobial Technology with Cinnamon-Based Nanokiller
The need for innovative antimicrobial agents has become increasingly urgent due to the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens and the persistent threat of infections acquired during hospital stays. Traditional antibiotics and antiseptics are often ineffective [...]
The Silent Battle Within: How Your Organs Choose Between Mom and Dad’s Genes
Research reveals that selective expression of maternal or paternal X chromosomes varies by organ, driven by cellular competition. A new study published today (July 26) in Nature Genetics by the Lymphoid Development Group at the MRC [...]
Study identifies genes increasing risk of severe COVID-19
Whether or not a person becomes seriously ill with COVID-19 depends, among other things, on genetic factors. With this in mind, researchers from the University Hospital Bonn (UKB) and the University of Bonn, in [...]
Small regions of the brain can take micro-naps while the rest of the brain is awake and vice versa
Sleep and wake: They're totally distinct states of being that define the boundaries of our daily lives. For years, scientists have measured the difference between these instinctual brain processes by observing brain waves, with [...]
Redefining Consciousness: Small Regions of the Brain Can Take Micro-Naps While the Rest of the Brain Is Awake
The study broadly reveals how fast brain waves, previously overlooked, establish fundamental patterns of sleep and wakefulness. Scientists have developed a new method to analyze sleep and wake states by detecting ultra-fast neuronal activity [...]
AI Reveals Health Secrets Through Facial Temperature Mapping
Researchers have found that different facial temperatures correlate with chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure, and these can be detected using AI with thermal cameras. They highlight the potential of this technology [...]
Breakthrough in aging research: Blocking IL-11 extends lifespan and improves health in mice
In a recent study published in the journal Nature, a team of researchers used murine models and various pharmacological and genetic approaches to examine whether pro-inflammatory signaling involving interleukin (IL)-11, which activates signaling molecules such [...]
Promise for a universal influenza vaccine: Scientists validate theory using 1918 flu virus
New research led by Oregon Health & Science University reveals a promising approach to developing a universal influenza vaccine—a so-called "one and done" vaccine that confers lifetime immunity against an evolving virus. The study, [...]
New Projects Aim To Pioneer the Future of Neuroscience
One study will investigate the alterations in brain activity at the cellular level caused by psilocybin, the psychoactive substance found in “magic mushrooms.” How do neurons respond to the effects of magic mushrooms? What [...]
Decoding the Decline: Scientific Insights Into Long COVID’s Retreat
Research indicates a significant reduction in long COVID risk, largely due to vaccination and the virus’s evolution. The study analyzes data from over 441,000 veterans, showing lower rates of long COVID among vaccinated individuals compared [...]
Silicon Transformed: A Breakthrough in Laser Nanofabrication
A new method enables precise nanofabrication inside silicon using spatial light modulation and laser pulses, creating advanced nanostructures for potential use in electronics and photonics. Silicon, the cornerstone of modern electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics, [...]
Caught in the actinium: New research could help design better cancer treatments
The element actinium was first discovered at the turn of the 20th century, but even now, nearly 125 years later, researchers still don't have a good grasp on the metal's chemistry. That's because actinium [...]
Innovative Light-Controlled Drugs Could Revolutionize Neuropathic Pain Treatment
A team of researchers from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) has developed light-activated derivatives of the anti-epileptic drug carbamazepine to treat neuropathic pain. Light can be harnessed to target drugs to specific [...]
Green Gold: Turning E-Waste Into a Treasure Trove of Rare Earth Metals
Scientists are developing a process inspired by nature that efficiently recovers europium from old fluorescent lamps. The approach could lead to the long-awaited recycling of rare earth metals. A small molecule that naturally serves [...]
Cambridge Study: AI Chatbots Have an “Empathy Gap,” and It Could Be Dangerous
A new study suggests a framework for “Child Safe AI” in response to recent incidents showing that many children perceive chatbots as quasi-human and reliable. A study has indicated that AI chatbots often exhibit [...]
Nanoparticle-based delivery system could offer treatment for diabetics with rare insulin allergy
Up to 3% of people with diabetes have an allergic reaction to insulin. A team at Forschungszentrum Jülich has now studied a method that could be used to deliver the active substance into the [...]