Biomaterial-based drug delivery systems used to improve chemotherapeutic activity of pharmaceuticals and to target inhibitors of apoptosis proteins

Abstract

A wide variety of drugs, drug delivery systems (DDS) that carry them, technologies, and treatment methodologies have been developed to treat cancer, and none of them have achieved full efficacy owing to several known and unknown factors. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), as grade IV brain tumors, have become an eminent threat in recent clinical practice. Inhibitors of apoptosis proteins (IAP) have been identified as an effective target to activate the apoptosis of cancer cells and overcome chemotherapy resistance. Now scientists/engineers are dealing with the hurdles to treating gliomas and how to overcome them with the development of target-specific DDS with active ligands. Further, this review discusses the importance of second mitochondria derived activator of caspase mimetics, interacting with siRNA, as IAP inhibitors that induce apoptosis of cancer cells, including gliomas. The combination of IAP antagonists with anticancer drugs has decreased the resistance to chemotherapeutic remedies. Moreover, biomaterial-based DDS have improved the activity of IAP antagonists by ameliorating their docking capacity and bioavailability in GBM. The development of DDS with active ligands carrying IAP antagonists and chemotherapeutic drugs becomes an essential issue for IAP in GBM targeting to enhance apoptosis, and that this can be an effective approach to GBM treatment.