Abstract
Chemotherapy is widely used for cancer treatment; however, it causes unwanted side effects in patients. To avoid these adverse effects, nanocarriers have been developed, which can be loaded with the chemotherapeutic agents, directed to the cancer site and, once there, are exposed to stimuli that will trigger the drug release.
Liposomes can be chemically modified to increase their circulation time, their stability, and their sensitivity to specific stimulus. Additionally, ligands can be conjugated to their surface, allowing for their specific binding to receptors overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells and the subsequent internalization via endocytosis. Using a triggering mechanism, including temperature, ultrasound, enzymes or a change in pH, the release of the drug is controlled and induced inside the cells, hence avoiding drug release in systemic circulation, which in turn reduces the undesired side effects of conventional chemotherapy. Ultrasound has been widely studied as a drug release trigger from liposomes, due to its well-known physics and previous uses in medicine.
This review focuses on liposome-based drug delivery systems, using different trigger mechanisms, with a focus on ultrasound. The physical mechanisms of ultrasound release are also investigated and the results of in vitro and in vivo studies are summarized.
Keywords: Drug delivery systems, liposomes, nanocarriers, triggered delivery, ultrasound.
Current Cancer Drug Targets
Title:Review on Triggered Liposomal Drug Delivery with a Focus on Ultrasound
Volume: 15 Issue: 4
Author(s): Hesham G. Moussa, Ana M. Martins and Ghaleb A. Husseini
Affiliation:
Keywords: Drug delivery systems, liposomes, nanocarriers, triggered delivery, ultrasound.
Abstract: Chemotherapy is widely used for cancer treatment; however, it causes unwanted side effects in patients. To avoid these adverse effects, nanocarriers have been developed, which can be loaded with the chemotherapeutic agents, directed to the cancer site and, once there, are exposed to stimuli that will trigger the drug release.
Liposomes can be chemically modified to increase their circulation time, their stability, and their sensitivity to specific stimulus. Additionally, ligands can be conjugated to their surface, allowing for their specific binding to receptors overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells and the subsequent internalization via endocytosis. Using a triggering mechanism, including temperature, ultrasound, enzymes or a change in pH, the release of the drug is controlled and induced inside the cells, hence avoiding drug release in systemic circulation, which in turn reduces the undesired side effects of conventional chemotherapy. Ultrasound has been widely studied as a drug release trigger from liposomes, due to its well-known physics and previous uses in medicine.
This review focuses on liposome-based drug delivery systems, using different trigger mechanisms, with a focus on ultrasound. The physical mechanisms of ultrasound release are also investigated and the results of in vitro and in vivo studies are summarized.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Moussa G. Hesham, Martins M. Ana and Husseini A. Ghaleb, Review on Triggered Liposomal Drug Delivery with a Focus on Ultrasound, Current Cancer Drug Targets 2015; 15 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009615666150311100610
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568009615666150311100610 |
Print ISSN 1568-0096 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1873-5576 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Cancer Biomarkers and Potential Drug Targets: From Diagnosis to Therapy
Cancer biomarkers play a crucial role in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer. They provide valuable information for cancer detection, risk assessment, treatment selection, and monitoring response to therapy. With advancements in molecular biology and high-throughput technologies, there has been an increasing interest in identifying and characterizing cancer biomarkers ...read more
Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Target Drug Resistant Tumors
With the development of disciplines such as chemical biology and molecular biology, the genes or proteins closely related to tumor occurrence and development have gradually become clear. Targeted therapies targeting these genes or proteins provide more effective methods for tumor treatment. Tumor targeted drugs generally only act on specific targets ...read more
ROLE OF IMMUNE AND GENOTOXIC RESPONSE BIOMARKERS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT IN CANCER DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Biological biomarkers have been used in medical research as an indicator of a normal or abnormal process inside the body, or of a disease. Nowadays, various researchers are in process to explore and investigate the biological markers for the early assessment of cancer. DNA Damage response (DDR) pathways and immune ...read more
Targeting the battlefield between host and tumor: basic research and clinical practice on reshaping tumor immune microenvironment
Immune system protects host against malignant tumors through effector cells and molecules. Cancer development and its response to therapy are regulated by inflammation, which either promotes or suppresses cancer progression. Chronic inflammation facilitates cancer progression and treatment resistance, whereas induction of acute inflammatory reactions often lead to anti-cancer immune responses. ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Multimodality Imaging of RNA Interference
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Mechanism of Calcitriol in Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Current Medicinal Chemistry Biomaterials in Bearing Surface for Total Hip Arthroplasty: State of the Art
Recent Patents on Biomedical Engineering (Discontinued) Microarray Technologies for Intracellular Kinome Analysis
Current Medicinal Chemistry Flavonoids for Allergic Diseases: Present Evidence and Future Perspective
Current Pharmaceutical Design Molecular Imaging with Small Animal PET/CT
Current Medical Imaging Target-oriented Mechanisms of Novel Herbal Therapeutics in the Chemotherapy of Gastrointestinal Cancer and Inflammation
Current Pharmaceutical Design Optimization Towards Dose Carving for Head and Neck Treatment Planning
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews Regulation of Angiogenesis and Angiogenic Factors by Cardiovascular Medications
Current Pharmaceutical Design Synergistic Interactions between GW8510 and Gemcitabine in an In Vitro Model of Pancreatic Cancer
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Plant Polyphenols and Tumors: From Mechanisms to Therapies, Prevention, and Protection Against Toxicity of Anti-Cancer Treatments
Current Medicinal Chemistry Development and Engineering of Lymphatic Endothelial Cells: Clinical Implications
Current Pharmaceutical Design Immunotherapy in Patients with Recurrent and Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma: An Overview on Targeted Therapy
Current Drug Targets Current Gene Therapy Strategies for Colorectal Cancer
Current Genomics Nucleosides, a Valuable Chemical Marker for Quality Control in Traditional Chinese Medicine Cordyceps
Recent Patents on Biotechnology Targeting Translation for Treatment of Cancer - A Novel Role for IRES?
Current Cancer Drug Targets Molecular and Biochemical Pathways Encompassing Diabetes Mellitus and Dementia
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Clinical Use of Therapies Targeting Tumor Vasculature and Stroma
Current Cancer Drug Targets The Discovery of Antiangiogenic Molecules: A Historical Review
Current Pharmaceutical Design