PLGA-Based Drug Delivery Systems for Remotely Triggered Cancer Therapeutic and Diagnostic Applications.

Xue Shen,Chunhui Wu,Zhongyuan Chen,Yiyao Liu,Shengqi Deng,Yi Feng,Hong Yang,Xiaoxue Xie,Tingting Li

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2020.00381

Abstract

Intelligent drug delivery systems based on nanotechnology have been widely developed and investigated in the field of nanomedicine since they were able to maximize the therapeutic efficacy and minimize the undesirable adverse effects. Among a variety of organic or inorganic nanomaterials available to fabricate drug delivery systems (DDSs) for cancer therapy and diagnosis, poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) has been extensively employed due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this paper, we review the recent status of research on the application of PLGA-based drug delivery systems (DDSs) in remotely triggered cancer therapy and the strategies for tumor imaging provided by PLGA-based DDSs. We firstly discuss the employment of PLGA-based DDSs for remotely triggered cancer therapy, including photo-triggered, ultrasound-triggered, magnetic field-triggered, and radiofrequency-triggered cancer therapy. Photo-triggered cancer therapy involves photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), and photo-triggered chemotherapeutics release. Ultrasound-triggered cancer therapy involves high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment, ultrasound-triggered chemotherapeutics release, and ultrasound-enhanced efficiency of gene transfection. The strategies which endows PLGA-based DDSs with imaging properties and the PLGA-based cancer theranostics are further discussed. Additionally, we also discuss the targeting strategies which provide PLGA-based DDSs with passive, active or magnetic tumor-targeting abilities. Numerous studies cited in our review demonstrate the great potential of PLGA-based DDSs as effective theranostic agent for cancer therapy and diagnosis.

Highlights

The utilization of nanotechnology in drug delivery has been extensively supposed to alter the pattern of the pharmaceutical industries for the predictable future (Farokhzad and Langer, 2009; Lim et al, 2013; Farooq et al, 2019)
One kind of polymer nanoparticles based on poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique physical and chemical properties, such as tunable particle size, regular morphology, large surface area, favorable pharmacokinetic property, excellent biocompatibility, and biodegradability (Deng et al, 2014; Yang et al, 2015, 2018; Shen et al, 2017, 2019)
A variety of inorganic or organic materials have been utilized to fabricate the smart drug delivery systems (DDSs) including inorganic nanoparticles, liposomes, polymer micelles, and polymer nanoparticles which can be used to co-deliver therapeutic agents and imaging agents for cancer theranostic applications, several problems are still needed to be solved, such as the complicated synthesis process, non-biodegradability, and uncontrollable drug release behavior of some DDSs

Summary

Introduction

The utilization of nanotechnology in drug delivery has been extensively supposed to alter the pattern of the pharmaceutical industries for the predictable future (Farokhzad and Langer, 2009; Lim et al, 2013; Farooq et al, 2019). The rise of nanotechnology have provided an versatile drug delivery systems (DDSs) for the efficient treatment of cancer, which offers a solution to the problem of body tissue damage caused by non-specific distribution of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs (Shi et al, 2010). With the continuous improvement of the performance of intelligent DDSs, it is possible to achieve (1) improved stability of hydrophobic drugs and the possibility of hydrophobic drugs for systemic administration; (2) targeted drug delivery; (3) combined delivery of two or more drugs or other therapeutic agents for combination therapy; (4) combined delivery of the therapeutic agents and imaging agents for the visualization of drug delivery; (5) favorable biodistribution and pharmacokinetic property of drugs and realizing the enhanced therapeutic effects and reduced side effects (Farokhzad and Langer, 2009)

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Conclusion