Table 5.
List of studies reporting the delivery of ART-type drugs with nanocarriers detailing the carrier material, cargo, model systems and main findings of the studies compared to free drugs.
| Carrier Materials | Cargo | Cell Lines; Cancer | Main Outcomes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inorganic-based NPs | ||||
| MnSiO3, Fe3O4 | ART | A549; Lung cancer | Mn2+ release↑; Antitumor activity in vivo↑ | 2015 [153] |
| Fe (III) carboxylate | DHA | HeLa; Cervical cancer. A549; Lung cancer | Co-release of DHA and Fe3+; Complete tumor cure with no observable side effects on normal tissues | 2016 [154] |
| Dual metal-organic-frameworks | ART | HeLa; Cervical cancer | High tumor inhibition rate (~2-fold of free ART); No obvious effect on the major organs of mice | 2016 [155] |
| HA-TiO2 | ART | MCF-7; Breast cancer | Generation of ROS under visual light irradiation; Higher concentration of ART in tumor tissue | 2017 [156] |
| Mesoporous NiO, Tb-DPTA | ART | HeLa; Cervical cancer | Ni2+ release↑; Antitumor activity in vitro and in vivo↑ | 2018 [157] |
| ZnFe2O4 | ART | Diverse cell lines | Lower cell viability than free ART | 2018 [158] |
| SiO2, Fe3O4 | ART | HepG-2; Liver cancer | Easy release of Fe2+ by weak acidic etching; Enhanced production of ROS with NIR light irradiation | 2019 [159] |
| Mesoporous silica | ART, TF | MCF-7; Breast cancer. CT26; Colon cancer | Co-delivery of iron to cancer cells; Release of ART in the presence of cathepsin B; ROS↑; Glutathione↓; Anti-cancer efficacy in vitro and in vivo↑ | 2019 [160] |
| FeCl3 · 6H2O, Na3Cit · 2H2O, NaOAc | DHA | MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453; Breast cancer | Fe2+ release↑; High toxicity to intractable breast cancer cells | 2020 [161] |
| Hollow mesoporous manganese trioxide | ART, Mn | MCF-7; Breast cancer | Deep penetration of solid tumors | 2021 [162] |
| Liposomes | ||||
| PPC, PEG2000 | ART | MCF-7; Breast cancer | Half IC50 compared to free ART | 2013 [163] |
| P90G, CHOL | DHA | MCF-7; Breast cancer | Better cellular uptake efficiency | 2014 [164] |
| DQA-PEG2000-DSPE | AM, DOX | C6; Brain cancer | Transport of drug across BBB, elimination of brain CSCs; Destruction of vasculogenic mimicry channels | 2014 [165] |
| DPPC, DSPC, CHOL | ART, TF | MCF-7, MDA-MB-231; Breast cancer | 10- and 5.5-fold higher levels of ART and TF production than free drugs; Tumor volume in mice↓ | 2015 [166] |
| DPPC, mPEG2000 | ART Dimer | MDA-MB-231; Breast cancer | Better anti-tumor efficacy than Paclitaxel | 2015 [167] |
| Hollow mesoporous silica, Fe3O4 | ART | ZR75-30; Ductal carcinoma | Lysosomal environment-responsively released ART result in decreased cell viability | 2017 [168] |
| EPC, CHOL, PEG2000-DSPE | DHA, Epirubicin | MDA-MB-435S, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7; Breast cancer | Drug circulation↑; Targeting delivery to the tumor; Anticancer efficacy↑ than free DHA or Epitubicin | 2018 [169] |
| DSPE-PEG2000-NHS | DHA, Daunorubicin | MDA-MB-435S; Breast cancer | More accumulation in tumor than free DHA; Better antitumor efficacy with no obvious toxicity in mice | 2018 [170] |
| CHOL, cRGD-PEG-DSPE, phospholipids, Fe3O4 | ART, Cisplatin | A549/R; NSCLC | The 15.17-fold lower IC50 value of free cisplatin against A549/R cells, ROS↑; Cell apoptosis rates↑ | 2018 [171] |
| FeCl3 · 6H2O, FeSO4 · 7H2O, sodium oleate, sodium hydroxide, Acetonitrile. | DHA | HNSCC; Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma | Significant targeting effect in a magnetic field; Better inhibition of HNSCC in mice than free DHA | 2019 [172] |
| Cholesteryl oleate, glyceryl trioleate, CHOL, DOPE | DHA, SRF | HepG2; Liver cancer | BAX and Bcl-2↑; Exhibited a 3-fold higher SubG1% of cells than free DHA or SRF | 2019 [173] |
| EPC, CHOL, DSPE-PEG2000, DSPE-PEG2000-R8 | DHA, Epirubicin |
A549; NSCLC: | Increased drug accumulation; Enhanced specificity and anti-tumor efficacy in vivo | 2019 [174] |
| DSPE-PEG2000, DOPE, CHEMS | DHA, TF | HepG2; Liver cancer | High oxidative state at the tumor site; Eradication of HepG2 tumor in mice | 2020 [175] |
| DSPE-PEG2000-HE-R6 | ART | 4 T1; Breast cancer | Longer retention time in tumors and higher efficiency in tumor suppression | 2021 [176] |
| Micelles | ||||
| PEG-PCL | ART | MDA-MB-435S; Breast cancer | Specific delivery of ART to tumor site; Higher antitumor efficacy than other ART formulations in vivo with low toxicity | 2012 [177] |
| PCL-PEG-PCL | ART | MCF-7, 4T1; Breast cancer | Prolong in vivo residence time in rats | 2018 [178] |
| Biotin-PEG-PCL | ART | MCF-7; Breast cancer | Tumor inhibition; No toxic effects on HFF2 fibroblast cells | 2019 [179] |
| Polymer-based NPs | ||||
| mPEG | ATS | L1210; Leukemia. MCF7; Breast cancer | Controllable release of ATS in the presence of esterase | 2014 [180] |
| Formulation I: Gelatin; Formulation II: Hyaluronan |
DHA | A549; NSCLC | Formation of DHA nanosized aggregates in an electrostatic field; Higher anticancer proliferation activities than DHA alone in A549 cells. | 2014 [181] |
| Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) and 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine | DHA, DOX | HeLa; Cervical cancer. HepG2; Liver cancer | Increased doxorubicin accumulation in cell nuclei; cytotoxicity↑ | 2015 [182] |
| PEG | DHA, Paclitaxel | HT-29; Colon cancer | Higher accumulation in the tumor site; Tumor growth in vivo↓; Systemic toxicity↓ | 2015 [183] |
| Graphene oxide | DHA, TF | EMT6; Breast cancer | Significant enhancement of delivery specificity and tumor cytotoxicity; Complete tumor cure in mice | 2015 [184] |
| PEG | DHA, TF | LLC; Lung cancer | High solubility (~102-fold of free DHA); Relatively high drug loading; Circulating half-life↑; One-fifth the size of the tumor in free DHA | 2016 [185] |
| H-apoferritin | AS | Hela; Cervical cancer | pH-responsive release of AS; Cytotoxic ROS↑; Cytotoxicity↑; Biocompatibility↑; No additional side effects | 2019 [186] |
| PNE, FeOOH | ART | 4T1; Mouse breast cancer | Extremely low toxicity to normal tissue; Tumor elimination after 7-day treatment; No tumor recurrence in 30 days after treatment. | 2019 [187] |
| Iron coordinated hollow polydopamine nanospheres | DHA | HeLa; Cervical cancer | 3.05-fold higher anti-tumor efficacy than free DHA | 2019 [188] |
| PEOz-PLA-PBAE | ATS dimer | CT-26; Colon cancer | Enhanced cellular uptake of the drug depot by the cancer cells; Enhanced anti-tumor efficacy in vivo | 2020 [189] |
| Bis-MPA, PEG | ART | MCF-7, MDA-231; Breast cancer | Completely non-toxic towards healthy fibroblasts | 2021 [190] |
| Carbon-based NPs | ||||
| HA-C60 | AS | MCF-7; Breast cancer | Increased intracellular accumulation of AS in tumor; Remarkably enhanced antitumor efficacy | 2015 [191] |
| NLCs | ||||
| Cholesterol, oleic acid, stearylamine | ART | U87MG; Malignant gliomas | High entrapment efficiency; Controlled drug release for brain administration | 2018 [192] |
| Niosomes | ||||
| Span 60, Tween 60, PEG-600 | ART | MCF-7; Breast cancer | 4-fold higher cytotoxic activity than free ART | 2014 [193] |
| Span 60, CHOL | Artemisone | A-375; Melanoma | Highly selective cytotoxicity towards melanoma cells, not to normal skin cells | 2015 [194] |
| Span, Tween, CHOL | AM, Paclitaxel | 4T1; Mouse breast cancer | Superior tumor necrosis and smaller tumor volume than free AM | 2020 [195] |
Arrow “↑” indicates an enhancing effect or upregulation; “↓” indicates a diminishing effect or downregulation.