title: Drug Delivery Using Nanoparticles for Cancer Stem-Like Cell Targeting.
abstract: The theory of cancer stem-like cell (or cancer stem cell, CSC) has been established to explain how tumor heterogeneity arises and contributes to tumor progression in diverse cancer types. CSCs are believed to drive tumor growth and elicit resistance to conventional therapeutics. Therefore, CSCs are becoming novel target in both medical researches and clinical studies. Emerging evidences showed that nanoparticles effectively inhibit many types of CSCs by targeting various specific markers (aldehyde dehydrogenases, CD44, CD90, and CD133) and signaling pathways (Notch, Hedgehog, and TGF-β), which are critically involved in CSC function and maintenance. In this review, we briefly summarize the current status of CSC research and review a number of state-of-the-art nanomedicine approaches targeting CSC. In addition, we discuss emerging therapeutic strategies using epigenetic drugs to eliminate CSCs and inhibit cancer cell reprogramming.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China; Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jingxin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China; Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-sen UniversityGuangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: cancer stem-like cell; combination therapy; epigenetic drugs; induced pluripotent stem cells; nanoparticle