title: Could nanoparticle systems have a role in the treatment of cerebral gliomas?
abstract: Malignant brain tumors are difficult to manage clinically and are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Late diagnosis and the limitations of conventional therapies that may result from inefficient delivery of the therapeutic or contrast agent to brain tumors due to the blood-brain barrier and nonspecificity of the agents, are major reasons for this unsolved clinical problem. Nanotechnology involves the design, synthesis, and characterization of materials and devices that have a functional organization in at least one dimension on the nanometer scale. The nanoparticle has emerged as a potential vector for brain delivery, able to overcome the difficulties of modern strategies. Moreover, multifunctionality can be engineered into a single nanoplatform so that it can provide tumor-specific detection, treatment, and follow-up monitoring. This review reports the latest research in nanoparticle-based glioma treatment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In recent years, nanoparticles have emerged as potential delivery vectors targeting brain tumors, including multifunctional NP-s allowing tumor-specific detection, treatment, and follow-up monitoring. This review summarizes the latest research in nanoparticle-based glioma treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Psychiatry and Anaesthesiology, Neurosurgical Clinic, University of Messina School of Medicine, Messina, Italy. gcaruso@unime.it
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caruso
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caffo
authors.forename: Concetta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alafaci
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Raudino
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cafarella
authors.forename: Sebastiano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lucerna
authors.forename: Francesco M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Salpietro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tomasello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D005910:Glioma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents