Liposomal Drug Delivery Systems and Anticancer Drugs.

Cancer is a life-threatening disease contributing to ~3.4 million deaths worldwide. There are various causes of cancer, such as smoking, being overweight or obese, intake of processed meat, radiation, family history, stress, environmental factors, and chance. The first-line treatment of cancer is the surgical removal of solid tumours, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. The systemic administration of the free drug is considered to be the main clinical failure of chemotherapy in cancer treatment, as limited drug concentration reaches the tumour site. Most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in chemotherapy are highly cytotoxic to both cancer and normal cells. Accordingly, targeting the tumour vasculatures is essential for tumour treatment. In this context, encapsulation of anti-cancer drugs within the liposomal system offers secure platforms for the targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs for the treatment of cancer. This, in turn, can be helpful for reducing the cytotoxic side effects of anti-cancer drugs on normal cells. This short-review focuses on the use of liposomes in anti-cancer drug delivery.

Investigations of octylglyceryl dextran-graft-poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles for peptide delivery to the brain.

AIM: Develop modified dextran nanoparticles showing potential to assist with drug permeation across the blood-brain barrier for the delivery of neuropeptides. METHODS: Nanoparticles loaded by emulsification with model macromolecular actives were characterized in terms of stability, cytotoxicity and drug-release behavior. Peptide-loaded nanoformulations were tested in an in vivo trout model and in food-deprived mice. RESULTS: Nanoformulations loaded with model peptides showed good stability and appeared nontoxic in low concentration against human brain endothelial cells. They were found to preserve the bioactivity of loaded peptides (angiotensin II) as demonstrated in vivo using a trout model, and to induce a transient reduction of food consumption in mice when loaded with an anorexigenic octaneuropeptide. CONCLUSION: Octylglyceryl dextran-graft-poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles formulated by emulsification demonstrate potential for peptide delivery.