Abstract
Drug delivery systems have opened new avenues to improve the therapeutic effects of already-efficient molecules. Particularly, Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) have emerged as promising nanocarriers in cancer therapy. SLNs offer remarkable advantages such as low toxicity, high bioavailability of drugs, versatility of incorporation of hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs, and feasibility of large-scale production. Their molecular structure is crucial to obtain high quality SLN preparations and it is determined by the relationship between the composition and preparation method. Additionally, SLNs allow overcoming several physiological barriers that hinder drug delivery to tumors and are also able to escape multidrug resistance mechanisms, characteristic of cancer cells. Focusing on cell delivery, SLNs can improve drug delivery to target cells by different mechanisms, such as passive mechanisms that take advantage of the tumor microenvironment, active mechanisms by surface modification of SLNs, and codelivery mechanisms. SLNs can incorporate many different drugs and have proven to be effective in different types of tumors (i.e., breast, lung, colon, liver, and brain), corroborating their potential. Finally, it has to be taken into account that there are still some challenges to face in the application of SLNs in anticancer treatments but their possibilities seem to be high.
Highlights
IntroductionThe development in the last fifty years of biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, and cell biology, among other scientific disciplines, has led to significant advances in biomedicine based on the molecular knowledge of many diseases
We have focused on the already-mentioned type of tumors due to their impact and prevalence, but Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) are efficient against other type of cancers
We have reviewed state-of-the-art of SLN characteristics, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the latest works related to application of SLNs to improve the actual efficiency of anticancer drugs in different tumor types
Summary
The development in the last fifty years of biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, and cell biology, among other scientific disciplines, has led to significant advances in biomedicine based on the molecular knowledge of many diseases. This has made possible the development of therapeutic molecules effectively directed to the origin of the problem: the molecular and cellular processes that lead to the development of diseases. A targeted drug delivery system could selectively carry sufficient drug concentrations into the targeted tissue (or cell), improving its bioavailability and reducing the associated side effects due to high doses
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