title: Nanotechnological carriers for cancer chemotherapy: the state of the art.
abstract: Cancer is a term used for a heterogeneous group of malignant diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade other tissues, resulting in metastasis. According to the last data of World Health Organization the incidence and mortality rates of cancer are high and tend to increase. Chemotherapy is usually used in cancer treatments, but due to the lack of specificity of drugs, is associated to various and damaging side effects that have a severe impact on patients quality of life. Nanotechnology is actually an important area of interest in science and technology, which has been extensively explored during the last decade, particularly in the development of carriers for cytotoxic drugs. These carriers include vesicular and particulate systems such as liposomes, niosomes, transfersomes, ethosomes, micelles, dendrimers, and polymeric, protein and lipid nanoparticles. Polymer-drug conjugates and antibody-drug conjugates have also been studied. The present review is an attempt to contemplate the studied nanocarriers in the field of anticancer drugs delivery, their advantages and disadvantages and future perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, N.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal(1). Electronic address: msrestanqueiro@ff.up.pt.
authors.forename: Marilene
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Estanqueiro
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, N.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal(1). Electronic address: hamaral@ff.up.pt.
authors.forename: Maria Helena
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Amaral
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, N.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal(1). Electronic address: jmgmconceicao@ff.up.pt.
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Conceição
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology, Department of Drug Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, N.° 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal(1). Electronic address: slobo@ff.up.pt.
authors.forename: José Manuel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sousa Lobo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D050997:Nanomedicine; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers
keywords: Anticancer drugs; Cancer; Dendrimers; Liposomes; Micelles; Nanoparticles