New approaches in extracellular vesicle engineering for improving the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies.
Semin Cancer Biol
; 74: 62-78, 2021 09.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33609665
ABSTRACT
Cancer is a disease that evolves continuously with unpredictable outcomes. Although conventional chemotherapy can display significant antitumor effects, the lack of specificity and poor bioavailability remain major concerns in cancer therapy. Moreover, with the advent of novel anti-cancer gene therapies, there is an urgent need for drug delivery vectors capable of bypassing cellular barriers and efficiently transferring therapeutic cargo to recipient cells. A number of drug delivery systems have been proposed to overcome these limitations, but their successful clinical translation has been hampered by the onset of unexpected side effects and associated toxicities. The application of extracellular vesicles (EVs), a class of naturally released, cell-derived particles, as drug delivery vectors presents a breakthrough in nanomedicine, taking into account their biocompatibility and natural role in intercellular communication. Combining the advantageous intrinsic properties of EVs with surface functionalization and the encapsulation of drugs allows for a new class of engineered EVs that serve as effective therapeutic carriers. Here, we describe the various successful approaches involving the application of engineered EVs as bio-derived drug delivery vectors in cancer therapy. The latest and most effective strategies of engineering EVs to improve drug loading, stealth properties and tumour targeting capabilities of EVs are debated. Finally, current obstacles and future perspectives of smart engineered EVs are discussed.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Portadores de Fármacos
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Sistemas de Liberação de Medicamentos
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Bioengenharia
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Vesículas Extracelulares
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Neoplasias
Limite:
Animals
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Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Semin Cancer Biol
Assunto da revista:
NEOPLASIAS
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article