Intelligent Systems based on Cyclodextrins for the Treatment of Breast Cancer

The incidence of breast cancer has been increasing over the last four decades, although the mortality rate has decreased. Endocrine therapy and chemotherapy are the most used options for cancer treatment but several obstacles are still attributed to these therapies. Smart materials, such as nanocarriers for targeting, delivery and release of active ingredients, sensitive to intrinsic-stimuli (pH-responsive, redox-responsive, enzyme- responsive, and thermo-responsive) and extrinsic-stimuli (ultrasound-responsive, magnetic-responsive, light-responsive) have been studied as a novel strategy in breast cancer therapy. Cyclodextrins (CDs) are used in the design of these stimuli-responsive drug carrier and delivery systems, either through inclusion complexes with hydrophobic molecules or covalent bonds with large structures to generate new materials. The present work aims to gather and integrate recent data from in vitro and in vivo preclinical studies of CD-based stimuli- responsive systems to contribute to the research in treating breast cancer. All drug carriers showed high in vitro release rates in the presence of a stimulus. The stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms presented biocompatibility and satisfactory results of IC₅₀, inhibition of cell viability and antitumor activity against several breast cancer cell lines. Additionally, these systems led to a significant reduction in drug dosages, which encouraged possible clinical studies for better alternatives to traditional antitumor therapies.