title: Active radar guides missile to its target: receptor-based targeted treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by nanoparticulate systems.
abstract: Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually present at advanced stages and do not benefit from surgical resection, so drug therapy should deserve a prominent place in unresectable HCC treatment. But chemotherapy agents, such as doxorubicin, cisplatin, and paclitaxel, frequently encounter important problems such as low specificity and non-selective biodistribution. Recently, the development of nanotechnology led to significant breakthroughs to overcome these problems. Decorating the surfaces of nanoparticulate-based drug carriers with homing devices has demonstrated its potential in concentrating chemotherapy agents specifically to HCC cells. In this paper, we reviewed the current status of active targeting strategies for nanoparticulate systems based on various receptors such as asialoglycoprotein receptor, transferrin receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, folate receptor, integrin, and CD44, which are abundantly expressed on the surfaces of hepatocytes or liver cancer cells. Furthermore, we pointed out their merits and defects and provided theoretical references for further research.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Liver Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095# Jie-Fang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, China.
authors.forename: Jing-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Jia-Zhi
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Ju-Sheng
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xing-Xing
authors.initials: XX
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D034622:RNA Interference
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D037263:Asialoglycoprotein Receptor; D004337:Drug Carriers; C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors