Antitumor drug carriers based on folate-conjugated polymers: Investigation and application / 国际药学研究杂志

ABSTRACT

Targeted therapies for cancer have many advantages, such as strong harmful effects on tumor cell and low adverse effect. Due to the fact that the folate receptor is a highly selective tumor marker overexpressed on the surface of many cancer cells, antitumor agents are taigetedly delivered to tumor tissues or cells via endocytosis mediated by folate receptor to improve the therapeutic efficiency. At present, the technology of folate receptor targeting drug delivery attracts extensive attention. Folate-targeted polymer-anti-tumor drug conjugates, which use polymer as the carrier coupling the targeting ligand folic acid and anticancer drugs, can significantly extend the drug half-life, increase drug stability and solubility, and reduce the side effects of drugs remarkably. All these characteristics indicate that folic acid polymer-drug conjugates have a good application prospect. This review covers the various types of folate receptor-mediated polymeric antitumer drugs conjugates, with special emphasis on the more recent ones and their mechanism aspects. © 2006 Editorial office of Foreign Medical Sciences.