Inhalable particulate drug delivery systems for lung cancer therapy: Nanoparticles, microparticles, nanocomposites and nanoaggregates.

There is progressive evolution in the use of inhalable drug delivery systems (DDSs) for lung cancer therapy. The inhalation route offers many advantages, being non-invasive method of drug administration as well as localized delivery of anti-cancer drugs to tumor tissue. This article reviews various inhalable colloidal systems studied for tumor-targeted drug delivery including polymeric, lipid, hybrid and inorganic nanocarriers.

Self-Assembled Nanocarriers Based on Amphiphilic Natural Polymers for Anti- Cancer Drug Delivery Applications.

Background: Micellization provides numerous merits for the delivery of water insoluble anti-cancer therapeutic agents including a nanosized 'core-shell' drug delivery system. Recently, hydrophobically-modified polysaccharides and proteins are attracting much attention as micelle forming polymers to entrap poorly soluble anti-cancer drugs.

Method: By virtue of their small size, the self-assembled micelles can passively target tumor tissues via enhanced permeation and retention effect (EPR).

Natural Polymeric Nanoparticles for Brain-Targeting: Implications on Drug and Gene Delivery.

There is a broad range of biological, chemical and physical hurdles for drugs to reach the brain. Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems hold tremendous potential for diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders, including the capacity of crossing the blood-brain barrier and accessing to the brain after systemic administration. Thus, nanoparticles enable the delivery of a great variety of drugs including anticancer drugs, analgesics, anti- Alzheimer`s drugs, protease inhibitors, and several macromolecules into the brain.