Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Feb 11.
Published in final edited form as: AAPS PharmSciTech. 2021 Feb 11;22(2):71. doi: 10.1208/s12249-021-01928-9

Table II.

Preclinical findings and physicochemical characteristics of NPs and nanocarrier formulations used to treat GBM.

Nanocarrier Average diameter (nm) ± SD ζ-potential (mV) ± SD Drug Salient Outcome(s) Model References
Polysorbate 80 coated PBCA 240 ± 40 −13.0 ± 2.1 DOX

  • - Enhanced permeability

  • - Reduced testicular and cardiological toxicity

 Healthy rat model (113)
Lecithin-PLGA- HSA-P188 468 ± 19 −11.2 DOX

  • - Increased anticancer activity

 GBM rat model (141)
Glutathione PEGylated 96–119 N/A Methylprednisolone

  • - Increased plasma circulation

  • - Enhanced anticancer activity

 Multiple sclerosis rat model (126)
Glutathione PEGylated 95 N/A DOX

  • - Increased median survival time

 GBM mouse model (131)
MPEG-PCL 72.5 ± 2.2 −3.08 ± 0.94 PTX

  • - Increased median survival time

 GBM mouse model (148)
IL-13 coated PEG-PCL 113.4 −3.56 Docetaxel

  • - Increased anticancer activity

  • - Enhanced cellular uptake

  • - Prolonged median survival time

 Glioma mouse model (123)
Angiopep-2-conjugated PEG-PCL 90 N/A PTX

  • - Enhanced antitumor efficacy

  • - Reduced acute toxicity

 Glioma mouse model (122)
RGD/IL-13 PEG-PCL 121.3± 59.8 −10.29 Coumarin-6

  • - Enhanced cellular uptake

 GBM mouse model (114)
PLGA 71 ± 13 N/A PTX

  • - Increased median survival time

  • - Enhanced brain penetration

  • - Prolonged drug release

 Glioma rat model (149)
Angiopep-2-PLGA 30 ± 1.24 −48 ± 1.27 DOX

  • - Improved BBB transportation

  • - Prolonged median survival time

  • - Increased anticancer activity

 GBM mouse model and U87MG (GBM) cell lines (170)
Transferrin coated PLGA 145.7 ± 25.0 N/A PTX

  • - Enhanced cellular uptake

  • - Increased cytotoxicity

  • - Improved drug accumulation

 C6 glioma cell lines (112)
Transferrin-PEG-PLA 153.3 ± 28.2 −9.6 ± 0.4 Resveratrol

  • - Decreased tumor volume

  • - Accumulation in brain tumor

  • - Prolonged survival time

 C6 glioma rat model (120)
OX26-PLGA 194 ± 1 −20 ± 2 TMZ

  • - Enhanced permeability

  • - Increased antitumor activity

  • - Improved cellular uptake

 U87MG (GBM) cell lines (119)
Anti-EGFR-PLGA 254 ± 10 −6.6 ± 4.1 Curcumin

  • - Specific targeting ligand

  • - Prolonged release

  • - Increased cytotoxic effect

 DKMG/EGFRvIII cell lines (EGFRvIII overexpressed human glioblastoma cell line) (171)
Anti-miR-21-PLA 153 ± 3 −22 TMZ

  • - Prolonged median survival time

  • - Increased apoptotic cell death

 Glioma rat model (155)
PEGylated PAMAM 7.52 ± 0.35 3.39 ± 0.37 CREKA peptide

  • - Deep penetration

  • - Enhanced cellular binding

 GBM mouse model (103)
Transferrin and tamoxifen conjugated PEGylated PAMAM 117 N/A DOX

  • - Improved drug accumulation

  • - Reduced tumor growth

  • - Controlled drug release

  • - Increased drug stability

 C6 glioma cell lines and BMVECs cells (127)
PEG nanocarrier 270 ± 20 N/A DOX

  • - Enhanced permeability

  • - Increased drug diffusion across BBB

 GBM rat model (137)
PEGylated dimethacrylate 35 ± 1.5 −5.2 ± 12.4 TMZ

  • - Decreased tumor volume

  • - Controlled drug release

  • - Enhanced antitumor activity

 U87MG mouse model and U87MG cell lines (172)
CREKA PEG-PLGA 93.2 ± 2.4 −20.3 ± 3.1 PTX

  • - Prolong median survival time

 U87MG moue model (129)
tLyp-1-PEG-PLA 111.3 ± 15.6 −24.3 ± 3.36 PTX

  • - Specific targeting ligand

  • - Enhanced cellular uptake

  • - Increased cytotoxicity

  • - Prolonged median survival time

 C6 glioma mouse model (173, 174)
Cyclic RGD-PEG-PLA 73 N/A PTX

  • - Prolonged median survival time

  • - Specific targeting ligand

 GBM (U87MG) mouse model (175)
CK peptide PEG-PLA 117.36 −26.72 PTX

  • - Increased accumulation in tumor

  • - Prolonged median survival time

 U87MG mouse model (130)

N/A: Not applicable, PBCA: Poly(butyl cyanoacrylate), PLGA: polylactic-co-glycolic acid, - HAS: human serum albumin, P188: poloxamer 188, PEG: polyethylene glycol, , MPEG-PCL: Methyl poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(e-caprolactone), IL-13: interleukin-13, TMZ: temozolomide, DOX: doxorubicin, PTX: paclitaxel, PCL: polycaprolactone, RDG: a tripeptide of arginine-glycine-aspartic acid, OX26: a monoclonal antibody specific for the transferrin receptor (TfR), EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor, miR-21: an oncogenic microRNA, PLA: polylactic acid, PAMAM: polyamidoamine, CREKA: a peptide of cysteine-arginine-glutamic-lysine-alanine, tLYP-1: a peptide specific for tenascin C (extracellular matrix component) and neutropilin-1 on neovasculature and glioma cells, CK peptide: composition of a human sonic hedgehog (SHH) targeting CVNHPAFAC peptide and a KDR targeting peptide (K237), C6: rat glioma cell lines, U87MG cells: human glioblastoma cells, and BMVECs: murine brain microvascular endothelial cells.