PLGA-based nanoparticles for the treatment of cancer: current strategies and perspectives

Research on cancer treatment is always of great importance because of the extensive and difficult treatment options and side effects of chemotherapeutic agents. Due to this, novel techniques for cancer treatment are the need of the day. Nowadays, nanotechnology is of great interest for its applications as diagnostic tools, theragnostic, contrasting agents, and vehicles for delivering drugs. Nanoparticles (NPs) are made up of biocompatible and biodegradable polymers that improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of drugs, reduce side effects, improve stability, prolong the release of drug, and reduce the dosing frequency. Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is FDA-approved synthetic polymer which can be used to formulate NPs that can be targeted to a specific site for the safe and effective delivery of drugs. PLGA-based NPs can be used for a variety of cancer therapies including tumor-targeted drug delivery, gene therapy, hyperthermia, and photodynamic therapy.

Method of preparation	Advantages	Disadvantages
Emulsion evaporation	Both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs can be encapsulated by single and double or multiple emulsion methods respectively. High production rate at a industrial scale.	Difficult to remove residue of stabilizer and solvents. Heating is required for evaporation. W/o/w emulsions are unstable.
Microfluidics	Fewer amounts of drug and solution were used. Suitable for heat-labile products. The size and shape of the particles are well controlled. Reproducibility.	Microchannels might get clogged. Small production scale.
Salting out	Suitable for RNA, DNA, proteins, and amino acids. No requirement for heating.	Restricted up-scaling. The purification step is time consuming. Homogenization at a high scale is required.
Nanoprecipitation	Low energy requirement. Single step process. Reproducibility.	Uneven particle size distribution during mixing.

This article discusses the method of preparation, characterization, encapsulation of chemotherapeutic drugs, effect of physicochemical properties of PLGA- based NPs, and how we can exploit these aspects through various methods of preparation for drug loading, biodistribution, target specificity, and their use in cancer treatment. Along with these targeting strategies, gene therapy, cancer immunotherapy, and various applications have also been discussed. This article also aims to discuss the incorporation of diagnostic tools and therapeutic moiety in one versatile formulation of PLGA-NPs and the difficulties faced in translating this promising tool to clinical use.

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Following excipients were mentioned in the paper besides other: PLGA, TPGS, PEG, PVA

Alvi, M., Yaqoob, A., Rehman, K. et al. PLGA-based nanoparticles for the treatment of cancer: current strategies and perspectives. AAPS Open 8, 12 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s41120-022-00060-7

Tags: excipients formulation

PLGA-based nanoparticles for the treatment of cancer: current strategies and perspectives

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