title: Polymeric nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery system for cancer therapy.
abstract: A targeted delivery system based on the polymeric nanoparticles as a drug carrier represents a marvelous avenue for cancer therapy. The pivotal characteristics of this system include biodegradability, biocompatibility, non-toxicity, prolonged circulation and a wide payload spectrum of a therapeutic agent. Other outstanding features are their distinctive size and shape properties for tissue penetration via an active and passive targeting, specific cellular/subcellular trafficking pathways and facile control of cargo release by sophisticated material engineering. In this review, the current implications of encapsulation of anticancer agents within polyhydroxyalkanoates, poly-(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and cyclodextrin based nanoparticles to precisely target the tumor site, i.e., cell, tissue and organ are highlighted. Furthermore, the promising perspectives in this emerging field are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Islamabad, Pakistan. Electronic address: farha.masood@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Farha
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masood
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Anticancer drug; Drug delivery; Nanoparticles; Polymer; Receptor; Site specific target