Title:Gold Nanoparticles in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Therapeutics
Volume: 30
Issue: 3
Author(s): Zakia Akter, Fabiha Zaheen Khan and Md. Asaduzzaman Khan*
Affiliation:
- Key laboratory of Epigenetics and Oncology, The Research Center for Preclinical Medicine, Southwest
Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, P.R. China
Keywords:
Gold nanoparticles, triple-negative breast cancer, drug delivery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, phototherapy.
Abstract:
Background: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive
type of breast cancer with enhanced metastasis and poor survival. Though chemotherapy,
radiotherapy, photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), and gene delivery
are used to treat TNBC, various side effects limit these therapeutics against TNBC. In
this review article, we have focused on the mechanism of action of gold nanoparticles
(AuNPs) to enhance the efficacy of therapeutics with targeted delivery on TNBC cells.
Methods: Research data were accumulated from PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and
Google Scholar using searching criteria “gold nanoparticles and triple-negative breast
cancer” and “gold nanoparticles and cancer”. Though we reviewed many old papers, the
most cited papers were from the last ten years.
Results: Various studies indicate that AuNPs can enhance bioavailability, site-specific
drug delivery, and efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, PTT, and PDT as well as
modulate gene expression. The role of AuNPs in the modulation of TNBC therapeutics
through the inhibition of cell proliferation, progression, and metastasis has been proved in
vitro and in vivo studies. As these mechanistic actions of AuNPs are most desirable to develop
drugs with enhanced therapeutic efficacy against TNBC, it might be a promising
approach to apply AuNPs for TNBC therapeutics.
Conclusion: This article reviewed the mechanism of action of AuNPs and their application
in the enhancement of therapeutics against TNBC. Much more attention is required
for studying the role of AuNPs in developing them either as a single or synergistic anticancer
agent against TNBC.