Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review
Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor, and its treatment is further complicated by the high selectivity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The scientific community is urgently seeking innovative and effective therapeutic solutions. Liposomes are a promising new tool that has shown pot...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/17/13262 |
| _version_ | 1797582493098967040 |
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| author | Paul Kawak Nour M. Al Sawaftah William G. Pitt Ghaleb A. Husseini |
| author_facet | Paul Kawak Nour M. Al Sawaftah William G. Pitt Ghaleb A. Husseini |
| author_sort | Paul Kawak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor, and its treatment is further complicated by the high selectivity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The scientific community is urgently seeking innovative and effective therapeutic solutions. Liposomes are a promising new tool that has shown potential in addressing the limitations of chemotherapy, such as poor bioavailability and toxicity to healthy cells. However, passive targeting strategies based solely on the physicochemical properties of liposomes have proven ineffective due to a lack of tissue specificity. Accordingly, the upregulation of transferrin receptors (TfRs) in brain tissue has led to the development of TfR-targeted anticancer therapeutics. Currently, one of the most widely adopted methods for improving drug delivery in the treatment of GBM and other neurological disorders is the utilization of active targeting strategies that specifically target this receptor. In this review, we discuss the role of Tf-conjugated liposomes in GBM therapy and present some recent studies investigating the drug delivery efficiency of Tf-liposomes; in addition, we address some challenges currently facing this approach to treatment and present some potential improvement possibilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:22:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f806b9f928dd4c698343e0bfd5c20e3b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:22:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f806b9f928dd4c698343e0bfd5c20e3b2023-11-19T08:14:42ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-08-0124171326210.3390/ijms241713262Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A ReviewPaul Kawak0Nour M. Al Sawaftah1William G. Pitt2Ghaleb A. Husseini3Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab EmiratesMaterials Science and Engineering Program, College of Arts and Sciences, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab EmiratesChemical Engineering Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USAChemical and Biological Engineering Department, College of Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah P.O. Box 26666, United Arab EmiratesGlioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor, and its treatment is further complicated by the high selectivity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). The scientific community is urgently seeking innovative and effective therapeutic solutions. Liposomes are a promising new tool that has shown potential in addressing the limitations of chemotherapy, such as poor bioavailability and toxicity to healthy cells. However, passive targeting strategies based solely on the physicochemical properties of liposomes have proven ineffective due to a lack of tissue specificity. Accordingly, the upregulation of transferrin receptors (TfRs) in brain tissue has led to the development of TfR-targeted anticancer therapeutics. Currently, one of the most widely adopted methods for improving drug delivery in the treatment of GBM and other neurological disorders is the utilization of active targeting strategies that specifically target this receptor. In this review, we discuss the role of Tf-conjugated liposomes in GBM therapy and present some recent studies investigating the drug delivery efficiency of Tf-liposomes; in addition, we address some challenges currently facing this approach to treatment and present some potential improvement possibilities.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/17/13262cancerglioblastomablood-brain barrierliposomestargeted drug deliverytransferrin |
| spellingShingle | Paul Kawak Nour M. Al Sawaftah William G. Pitt Ghaleb A. Husseini Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review International Journal of Molecular Sciences cancer glioblastoma blood-brain barrier liposomes targeted drug delivery transferrin |
| title | Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review |
| title_full | Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review |
| title_fullStr | Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review |
| title_short | Transferrin-Targeted Liposomes in Glioblastoma Therapy: A Review |
| title_sort | transferrin targeted liposomes in glioblastoma therapy a review |
| topic | cancer glioblastoma blood-brain barrier liposomes targeted drug delivery transferrin |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/17/13262 |
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