13 - Polysaccharide nanoparticles for cancer drug targeting

Abstract

Polysaccharides, consisting of long chains of monosaccharide or disaccharide units bound by glyosidic linkages, are extensively exploited in cancer-targeted drug delivery because of their outstanding virtues such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, low toxicity, flexible chemical modification, and low cost. Polysaccharides have a large number of reactive groups, a wide range of molecular weights, varying chemical composition, which contributes to their diversity in structure and in property. Generally, polysaccharide nanoparticles can be prepared by cross-linking, polyelectrolyte interaction, and self-assembly. Based on the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect in cancers, polysaccharide nanoparticles can enhance drug accumulation in cancers and decrease the toxicity of anticancer drugs. When modified with targeting ligands, active targeting polysaccharide nanoparticles can selectively improve the drug distribution in cancer cells and enhance the anticancer efficacy of drugs. In addition, stimuli-responsive polysaccharide nanoparticles can further increase the bioavailability of drugs in cancer cells. In a word, this article describes the properties of common polysaccharides, the preparation methods of polysaccharide nanoparticles, and the application of polysaccharide nanoparticles in cancer-targeted drug delivery, and provides perspectives on design and translation of polysaccharide nanoparticles for cancer targeting.