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Recent advances in drug delivery systems for enhancing drug penetration into tumors

Bin He1, Xin Sui1, Bing Yu1,2

  • 1Institute of Biomedical Materials and Engineering, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao University, Qingdao, China.

Drug Delivery
|October 26, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Nanomaterials show promise for cancer treatment, but poor tumor penetration limits their effectiveness. This review explores strategies to enhance nano-drug delivery into tumors for better cancer therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Nanotechnology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Nanomaterials offer targeted drug delivery, potentially reducing side effects and tumor removal damage.
  • Current nano-drug efficacy is limited by poor penetration into tumor tissues and cells.
  • Inefficient drug penetration into tumors is a major obstacle for nano-drug development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a comprehensive overview of strategies for enhancing nano-drug penetration into tumors.
  • To summarize recent advances in designing nano-drug carriers for improved tumor targeting.
  • To discuss the mechanisms of drug transport within tumor tissues.

Main Methods:

  • Summarizing the processes of paracellular and transcellular transport in tumor tissue.
  • Reviewing strategies to remodel the tumor microenvironment for enhanced penetration.
  • Analyzing methods like charge inversion, dimensional change, and ligand modification for tissue penetration.

Main Results:

  • Identified drug penetration into tumors as a critical bottleneck for nano-drug efficacy.
  • Detailed various strategies to overcome penetration barriers, including microenvironment modulation and surface modifications.
  • Highlighted the importance of understanding transport mechanisms for effective delivery.

Conclusions:

  • Effective cancer treatment requires overcoming the challenge of nano-drug penetration into tumors.
  • Strategies discussed offer potential for improving nano-drug delivery and therapeutic outcomes.
  • Future research should focus on optimizing these strategies for clinical translation.
Keywords:
Tumor penetrationdrug delivery systemsendocytosismicroenvironmentnano-drugs

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