Abstract
Breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) represent a subgroup of breast tumor cells with self-regenerating and multilineage differentiating ability. BCSCs enable the therapy resistance, metastasis, self-renewal, and differentiation of cells. Treatment resistance and plasticity of BCSCs are the biggest challenges to the eradication of BCSCs. BCSCs are highly radiotherapy- and chemotherapy-resistant, with a number of mechanisms reported. At least one compound with specific inhibition such as phytochemical, gene, or specific BCSC inhibitors should be included in the treatment to overcome the resistance to conventional treatments. Inhibition, intrinsic self-renewal pathway targeting, microenvironment interference, and metabolic pathway targeting are among the various strategies proposed to target BCSCs. Nanocarriers have attracted great attention in drug delivery and targeting owing to their outstanding physicochemical properties. Nanosized drug delivery, in conjunction with surface modification, is an important approach that could be used to target BCSCs. All these strategies make them more suitable for effective delivery systems in addition to reducing the toxicities associated with the bioactive(s). In this chapter, the authors discuss the biological characteristics and signaling pathways of BCSCs, with a greater emphasis on nanotechnology-based tailored targeted delivery to increase therapeutic efficacy and safety and to reduce the adverse effects of drugs.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
