Title:Ultrasound-Mediated Cancer Therapeutics Delivery using Micelles and Liposomes: A Review
Volume: 16
Issue: 4
Author(s): Debasmita Mukhopadhyay, Catherine Sano, Nour AlSawaftah, Raafat El-Awady, Ghaleb A. Husseini*Vinod Paul
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemical Engineering, American University of Sharjah, Sharjah,United Arab Emirates
Keywords:
Nanomedicine, liposomes, polymeric micelles, drug delivery, ultrasound, cancer therapy.
Abstract:
Background: Existing cancer treatment methods have many undesirable side effects
that greatly reduce the quality of life of cancer patients.
Objective: This review will focus on the use of ultrasound-responsive liposomes and polymeric micelles
in cancer therapy.
Methods: This review presents a survey of the literature regarding ultrasound-triggered micelles
and liposomes using articles recently published in various journals, as well as some new patents in
this field.
Results: Nanoparticles have proven promising as cancer theranostic tools. Nanoparticles are selective
in nature, have reduced toxicity, and controllable drug release patterns making them ideal carriers
for anticancer drugs. Numerous nanocarriers have been designed to combat malignancies, including
liposomes, micelles, dendrimers, solid nanoparticles, quantum dots, gold nanoparticles,
and, more recently, metal-organic frameworks. The temporal and spatial release of therapeutic
agents from these nanostructures can be controlled using internal and external triggers, including
pH, enzymes, redox, temperature, magnetic and electromagnetic waves, and ultrasound. Ultrasound
is an attractive modality because it is non-invasive, can be focused on the diseased site, and
has a synergistic effect with anticancer drugs.
Conclusion: The functionalization of micellar and liposomal surfaces with targeting moieties and
the use of ultrasound as a triggering mechanism can help improve the selectivity and enable the spatiotemporal
control of drug release from nanocarriers.
