A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations
Nanomedicines represent the cutting edge of today’s cancer therapeutics. Seminal research decades ago has begun to pay dividends in the clinic, allowing for the delivery of cancer drugs with enhanced systemic circulation while also minimizing off-target toxicity. Despite the advantages of delivering...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Cancers |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/7/1741 |
| _version_ | 1797440117219000320 |
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| author | Joshua J. Milligan Soumen Saha |
| author_facet | Joshua J. Milligan Soumen Saha |
| author_sort | Joshua J. Milligan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nanomedicines represent the cutting edge of today’s cancer therapeutics. Seminal research decades ago has begun to pay dividends in the clinic, allowing for the delivery of cancer drugs with enhanced systemic circulation while also minimizing off-target toxicity. Despite the advantages of delivering cancer drugs using nanoparticles, micelles, or other nanostructures, only a small fraction of the injected dose reaches the tumor, creating a narrow therapeutic window for an otherwise potent drug. First-pass metabolism of nanoparticles by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) has been identified as a major culprit for the depletion of nanoparticles in circulation before they reach the tumor site. To overcome this, new strategies, materials, and functionalization with stealth polymers have been developed to improve nanoparticle circulation and uptake at the tumor site. This review summarizes the strategies undertaken to evade RES uptake of nanomedicines and improve the passive and active targeting of nanoparticle drugs to solid tumors. We also outline the limitations of current strategies and the future directions we believe will be explored to yield significant benefits to patients and make nanomedicine a promising treatment modality for cancer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:02:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3340054d9926423097469a1fd5c45d86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:02:31Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cancers |
| spelling | doaj.art-3340054d9926423097469a1fd5c45d862023-11-30T23:01:25ZengMDPI AGCancers2072-66942022-03-01147174110.3390/cancers14071741A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their LimitationsJoshua J. Milligan0Soumen Saha1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 277018, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 277018, USANanomedicines represent the cutting edge of today’s cancer therapeutics. Seminal research decades ago has begun to pay dividends in the clinic, allowing for the delivery of cancer drugs with enhanced systemic circulation while also minimizing off-target toxicity. Despite the advantages of delivering cancer drugs using nanoparticles, micelles, or other nanostructures, only a small fraction of the injected dose reaches the tumor, creating a narrow therapeutic window for an otherwise potent drug. First-pass metabolism of nanoparticles by the reticuloendothelial system (RES) has been identified as a major culprit for the depletion of nanoparticles in circulation before they reach the tumor site. To overcome this, new strategies, materials, and functionalization with stealth polymers have been developed to improve nanoparticle circulation and uptake at the tumor site. This review summarizes the strategies undertaken to evade RES uptake of nanomedicines and improve the passive and active targeting of nanoparticle drugs to solid tumors. We also outline the limitations of current strategies and the future directions we believe will be explored to yield significant benefits to patients and make nanomedicine a promising treatment modality for cancer.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/7/1741solid tumornanomedicinefirst-pass metabolismRES blockade |
| spellingShingle | Joshua J. Milligan Soumen Saha A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations Cancers solid tumor nanomedicine first-pass metabolism RES blockade |
| title | A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations |
| title_full | A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations |
| title_fullStr | A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations |
| title_short | A Nanoparticle’s Journey to the Tumor: Strategies to Overcome First-Pass Metabolism and Their Limitations |
| title_sort | nanoparticle s journey to the tumor strategies to overcome first pass metabolism and their limitations |
| topic | solid tumor nanomedicine first-pass metabolism RES blockade |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6694/14/7/1741 |
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