Abstract
Applications
of nanotechnology in various disciplines of medicine particularly cancer care
are becoming increasingly popular so much so that the process of replacing
traditional health‑care by nanomedicine had already begun. Nanomedicine focuses
on the formulations of imaging, diagnostic and therapeutic agents, which can be
carried by biocompatible nanoparticles, for the purpose of cancer/ disease
management.
Common nanomaterials and devices applicable in cancer medicine are liposomes,
polymeric‑micelles, dendrimers, nano‑cantilevers, carbon nanotubes, quantum
dots, magnetic‑nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and certain
miscellaneous nanoparticles. Here, we present review of the structure, function
and utilities of the various approved, under trial and pretrial nanodevices
applicable in the cancer care and medicine.
Liposomes: Liposomes are 50-100 nm size phospholipid‑vesicles used for carrying
drugs to the target site minimizing the bio‑distribution toxicity and a number
of such theranostics have been approved for clinical practice.
Polymeric micelles: These are nanoparticles of 10‑100 nm size and capable of
carrying the drug also prevent drug aggregation and embolism.
Dendrimers: A multifunctional dendrimer conjugate with imaging, targeting and
drug molecules of paclitaxel has been recently synthesized for cancer
theranostic applications.
Nano‑cantilever: Nano‑cantilever based assays are likely going to replace the
conventional methods of chemical pathological investigations.
Carbon nanotubes: Carbon nanotubes are emerging for utility in regenerative and
cancer medicine. Quantum dots: Quantum dots hold great promise for the
micrometastasis and intraoperative tumor imaging.
Magnetic‑nanoparticles: Important applications of magnetic nanoparticles are in
the cardiac stents, photodynamic therapy and liver metastasis imaging.
The AuNPs: The AuNPs have been employed for cell imaging, computed tomography
and cancer therapy.
However, the use of nanoparticles should be cautious since the toxic effects of
nanoparticles are not well‑known. The use of nanoparticles in the clinical
practice and their toxicity profile require further extensive research
Keywords:
Nanotechnology,
nanoparticles, cancer
References
- Mehmet Gökdeniz, Muhsin Akbaba, Ersin Nazlıcan cukurova university faculty of medicine, public health department
Abstract
References
- Mehmet Gökdeniz, Muhsin Akbaba, Ersin Nazlıcan cukurova university faculty of medicine, public health department
Details
| Journal Section | Articles |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | November 1, 2017 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2017 Volume 2, Issue 1(4) |