Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Korea.
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon University, Incheon, 21565, Korea.
Curr Top Med Chem. 2021;21(15):1360-1376. doi: 10.2174/1568026621666210701144124.
Nanotechnology has shown promising advancements in the field of drug development and its delivery. In particular, the applications of nanoparticles for treatment and diagnostics of cancer reached such a precision that it can detect a single cancer cell and target it to deliver a payload for the treatment of that cancerous cell. Conventional cancer therapy methods have side effects, and diagnostics techniques are time-consuming and expensive. Nanoparticles (NPs) such as polymeric nanoparticles (nanogels, nanofibers, liposomes), metallic nanoparticles such as gold NP (GNPs), sliver NP (AgNP), calcium nanoparticles (CaNPs), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, and quantum dots (QDs) have revolutionized cancer diagnostics and treatments due to their high surface charge, size, and morphology. Functionalization of these nanoparticles with different biological molecules, such as antibodies, helps them to target delivery and early detection of cancer cells through their plasmon resonance properties. While some of the magnetic properties of nanoparticles such as iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and carbon NT were also evaluated for detection and treatments of cancer cells. An advanced type of nanoparticles, such as nanobubbles and oxygen-releasing polymers, are helping to address the hypoxia conditions in the cancer microenvironment, while others are employed in photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) due to their intrinsic theranostic properties. The green synthesis of nanoparticles has further increased biocompatibility and broadened their applications. In this review paper, we discussed the advancement in nanotechnology and its applications for cancer treatment and diagnostics and highlighted challenges for translation of these advanced nano-based techniques for clinical applications and their green synthesis.
纳米技术在药物开发及其传递领域显示出有前景的进展。特别是，纳米颗粒在癌症治疗和诊断中的应用已经达到了如此精确的程度，以至于可以检测到单个癌细胞，并将其靶向以输送用于治疗该癌细胞的有效载荷。传统的癌症治疗方法有副作用，而诊断技术既耗时又昂贵。纳米颗粒（NPs），如聚合物纳米颗粒（纳米凝胶、纳米纤维、脂质体）、金属纳米颗粒如金纳米颗粒（GNPs）、银纳米颗粒（AgNP）、钙纳米颗粒（CaNPs）、碳纳米管（CNTs）、石墨烯和量子点（QDs），由于其高表面电荷、尺寸和形态，彻底改变了癌症的诊断和治疗。通过等离子体共振特性，用不同的生物分子（如抗体）对这些纳米颗粒进行功能化，有助于它们靶向输送和早期检测癌细胞。而一些纳米颗粒的磁性特性，如铁（Fe）、铜（Cu）和碳 NT，也被评估用于检测和治疗癌细胞。一种先进类型的纳米颗粒，如纳米气泡和释氧聚合物，有助于解决癌症微环境中的缺氧状况，而其他纳米颗粒则被用于光动力疗法（PDT）和光热疗法（PTT），因为它们具有内在的治疗诊断特性。纳米颗粒的绿色合成进一步提高了其生物相容性，并拓宽了它们的应用范围。在这篇综述论文中，我们讨论了纳米技术的进展及其在癌症治疗和诊断中的应用，并强调了将这些先进的基于纳米技术的技术转化为临床应用及其绿色合成所面临的挑战。
