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Exploiting Enzyme Alterations in Cancer for Drug Activation, Drug Delivery, and Nanotherapy

Joel Y Hayashi1, Fuyuhiko Tamanoi1

  • 1Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

The Enzymes
|October 22, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Enzyme activity in cancer enables innovative drug delivery. Strategies like prodrugs and enzyme-sensitive nanoparticles offer targeted cancer therapy and controlled drug release.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Enzyme-Mediated Therapeutics

Background:

  • Enzyme alterations in cancer tissues are well-documented.
  • These enzymatic changes present opportunities for targeted drug delivery and activation.
  • Existing strategies leverage enzyme activity for therapeutic benefit.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and discuss enzyme-cleavable strategies for anticancer drug activation and delivery.
  • To highlight the application of enzymes in nanodelivery vehicles and nanomachines.
  • To explore colon-specific drug delivery using enzyme-cleavable mechanisms.

Main Methods:

  • Review of prodrug strategies involving enzyme cleavage.
  • Analysis of enzyme-sensitive linkages in hydrogels and nanodelivery vehicles (liposomes, polymer micelles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles).
  • Examination of enzyme-cleavage-activated nanomachines (nanovalves, multistage vehicles).

Main Results:

  • Enzyme cleavage is a versatile mechanism for generating active drugs from prodrugs.
  • Enzyme-sensitive linkages enable controlled release of anticancer drugs and siRNA from various nanocarriers.
  • Enzyme activity can trigger the opening of nanovalves and the release of nanoparticles from multistage systems.
  • Azoreductase-cleavable mechanisms facilitate colon-specific drug delivery.

Conclusions:

  • Enzyme-cleavable systems offer promising avenues for targeted cancer therapy.
  • The development of enzyme-responsive nanodelivery vehicles enhances drug efficacy and reduces systemic toxicity.
  • Enzyme-mediated drug release mechanisms are crucial for advancing precision oncology.
Keywords:
CancerDrug deliveryEnzymeNanoparticlesNanotherapyNanovalvesProteases

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