Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors
Brain tumors are particularly aggressive and represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and children, affecting the global population and being responsible for 2.6% of all cancer deaths (as well as 30% of those in children and 20% in young adults). The blood-brain barrier (BB...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-10-01
|
| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/21/11783 |
| _version_ | 1797512409386057728 |
|---|---|
| author | Giovanna Calabrese Giovanna De Luca Giuseppe Nocito Maria Giovanna Rizzo Sofia Paola Lombardo Giulia Chisari Stefano Forte Emanuele Luigi Sciuto Sabrina Conoci |
| author_facet | Giovanna Calabrese Giovanna De Luca Giuseppe Nocito Maria Giovanna Rizzo Sofia Paola Lombardo Giulia Chisari Stefano Forte Emanuele Luigi Sciuto Sabrina Conoci |
| author_sort | Giovanna Calabrese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Brain tumors are particularly aggressive and represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and children, affecting the global population and being responsible for 2.6% of all cancer deaths (as well as 30% of those in children and 20% in young adults). The blood-brain barrier (BBB) excludes almost 100% of the drugs targeting brain neoplasms, representing one of the most significant challenges to current brain cancer therapy. In the last decades, carbon dots have increasingly played the role of drug delivery systems with theranostic applications against cancer, thanks to their bright photoluminescence, solubility in bodily fluids, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. After a summary outlining brain tumors and the current drug delivery strategies devised in their therapeutic management, this review explores the most recent literature about the advances and open challenges in the employment of carbon dots as both diagnostic and therapeutic agents in the treatment of brain cancers, together with the strategies devised to allow them to cross the BBB effectively. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:00:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-28c78dabb43e4319886b33bba847ccfe |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T06:00:26Z |
| publishDate | 2021-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-28c78dabb43e4319886b33bba847ccfe2023-11-22T20:57:47ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672021-10-0122211178310.3390/ijms222111783Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain TumorsGiovanna Calabrese0Giovanna De Luca1Giuseppe Nocito2Maria Giovanna Rizzo3Sofia Paola Lombardo4Giulia Chisari5Stefano Forte6Emanuele Luigi Sciuto7Sabrina Conoci8Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche ed Ambientali—Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98168 Messina, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche ed Ambientali—Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98168 Messina, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche ed Ambientali—Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98168 Messina, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche ed Ambientali—Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98168 Messina, ItalyIstituto Oncologico del Mediterraneo, Via Penninazzo 7, 95029 Viagrande, ItalyIstituto Oncologico del Mediterraneo, Via Penninazzo 7, 95029 Viagrande, ItalyIOM Ricerca, Via Penninazzo 11, 95029 Viagrande, ItalyA.O.-Universitaria Policlinico “G. Rodolico–San Marco”, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, ItalyDipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Biologiche, Farmaceutiche ed Ambientali—Università degli Studi di Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno d’Alcontres, 31, 98168 Messina, ItalyBrain tumors are particularly aggressive and represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and children, affecting the global population and being responsible for 2.6% of all cancer deaths (as well as 30% of those in children and 20% in young adults). The blood-brain barrier (BBB) excludes almost 100% of the drugs targeting brain neoplasms, representing one of the most significant challenges to current brain cancer therapy. In the last decades, carbon dots have increasingly played the role of drug delivery systems with theranostic applications against cancer, thanks to their bright photoluminescence, solubility in bodily fluids, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. After a summary outlining brain tumors and the current drug delivery strategies devised in their therapeutic management, this review explores the most recent literature about the advances and open challenges in the employment of carbon dots as both diagnostic and therapeutic agents in the treatment of brain cancers, together with the strategies devised to allow them to cross the BBB effectively.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/21/11783brain tumorsdrug-delivery systemsblood-brain barriernanoparticlescarbon dotsnanocarriers |
| spellingShingle | Giovanna Calabrese Giovanna De Luca Giuseppe Nocito Maria Giovanna Rizzo Sofia Paola Lombardo Giulia Chisari Stefano Forte Emanuele Luigi Sciuto Sabrina Conoci Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors International Journal of Molecular Sciences brain tumors drug-delivery systems blood-brain barrier nanoparticles carbon dots nanocarriers |
| title | Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors |
| title_full | Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors |
| title_fullStr | Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors |
| title_short | Carbon Dots: An Innovative Tool for Drug Delivery in Brain Tumors |
| title_sort | carbon dots an innovative tool for drug delivery in brain tumors |
| topic | brain tumors drug-delivery systems blood-brain barrier nanoparticles carbon dots nanocarriers |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/21/11783 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT giovannacalabrese carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT giovannadeluca carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT giuseppenocito carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT mariagiovannarizzo carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT sofiapaolalombardo carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT giuliachisari carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT stefanoforte carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT emanueleluigisciuto carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors AT sabrinaconoci carbondotsaninnovativetoolfordrugdeliveryinbraintumors |