Nanomedicine-Mediated Combination Drug Therapy in Tumor

Abstract

Background:Combined chemotherapy has gradually become one of the conventional methods of cancer treatment due to the limitation of monotherapy. However, combined chemotherapy has several drawbacks that may lead to treatment failure because drug synergy cannot be guaranteed, achievement of the optimal synergistic drug ratio is difficult, and drug uptake into the tumor is inconsistent. Nanomedicine can be a safe and effective form of drug delivery, which may address the problems associated with combination chemotherapy.Objective:This review summarizes the recent research in this area, including the use of nanoparticles, liposomes, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles, and polymeric micelles, and provides new approach for combined chemotherapy.Methods:By collecting and referring to the related literature in recent years.Results:Compared with conventional drugs, nanomedicine has the following advantages: it increases bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs, prolongs drug circulation timein vivo, and permits multiple drug loading, all of which could improve drug efficacy and reduce toxicity. Furthermore, nanomedicine can maintain the synergistic ratio of the drugs; deliver the drugs to the tumor at the same time, such that two or more drugs of tumor treatment achieve synchronization in time and space; and alter the pharmacokinetics and distribution profilein vivosuch that these are dependent on nanocarrier properties (rather than being dependent on the drugs themselves).Conclusion:Therefore, nanomedicine-mediated combination drug therapy is promising in the treatment of tumors.