TABLE 2.

CS‐based nanocarriers for co‐delivery of DOX and genes in cancer suppression.

Nanovehicle	Gene	Antitumor agent	Particle size (nm); zeta potential (mV); encapsulation efficiency (%)	Remarks	Refernces
PAMAM‐CS‐DCA nanoparticles	pDNA	Doxorubicin	140–220 nm	Encapsulating DOX at core Loading pDNA on PAMAM shell with positive charge Transfection efficiency as much as 74% Exerting synergistic activity and suppressing cancer progression	182
CS‐based nanostructures	IL17RB‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	114 nm; 10.1 mV	Inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells and suppressing their migration and invasion siRNA promotes cytotoxicity of DOX against tumor cells Targeted delivery by nanocarriers Decreasing expression levels of Bcl‐2 and NF‐κB	183
Micellar polyplexes	MDR‐1‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	92 nm; 7–10 mV	Impairing progression of breast cancer cells (4 T1 cells) Enhancing survival of animal model Down‐regulating MDR1 expression and promoting DOX sensitivity of tumor cells	184
CS nanostructures	HMGA2‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	110–174 nm; 11.6–13.2 mV; up to 78%	Stability against serum and heparin Inducing cell death Decreasing expression level of HMGA2, vimentin and MMP‐9, while promoting E‐cadherin levels in impairing progression of colorectal tumor cells Exerting synergistic impact between DOX and siRNA	185
LDL‐CS nanoparticles	MDR‐1‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	23.4 nm; −1.65 mV; 71.06%	Protecting siRNA against macrophage phagocytosis Decreasing MDR1 expression Accumulating at tumor site Suppressing liver cancer progression	186
CS‐gold nanoparticles	MDR‐1‐siRNA	‐	94.5 nm	Reducing expression level of MDR‐1 and P‐gp to significantly enhance DOX internalization in breast cancer cells	187
CS nanoparticles	IGF‐1‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	176 nm; 11 mV	Apoptosis induction due to synergistic impact between siRNA and DOX and subsequent impairment of A549 progression	188
Glycol CS nanoparticles	Bcl‐2‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	290 nm; 0.86 mV; up to 93%	Release of cargo in a pH‐sensitive manner Reducing cancer cell survival via Bcl‐2 down‐regulation and enhancing DOX sensitivity	189
CS‐based nanostructures	HMGA2‐siRNA	Doxorubicin	207 nm; 16.3 mV	Apoptosis induction Impairing migration and invasion of cancer cells Decreasing HMGA2, vimentin and MMP‐9 levels Enhancing E‐cadherin levels	190
Trimethyl CS nanostructures	HMGA2	Doxorubicin	120–205 nm; 13.5–17.3 mV; up to 80.2%	Impairing migratory ability of breast cancer cells via co‐delivery of siRNA and DOX Suppressing breast tumor proliferation	191

Abbreviations: CS, chitosan; DOX, doxorubicin; DCA, deoxycholic acid; HMGA2, high mobility group A2; MDR1, multidrug resistance 1; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; NF‐κB; nuclear factor‐kappa B; PAMAM, poly(amidoamine); P‐gp, P‐glycoprotein.