Cellulose-based Nanocarriers as Platforms for Cancer Therapy

Title:Cellulose-based Nanocarriers as Platforms for Cancer Therapy

Volume: 23 Issue: 35

Author(s): Ling-Yan Meng, Bin Wang, Ming-Guo Ma*Jie-Fang Zhu*

Affiliation:

• Engineering Research Center of Forestry Biomass Materials and Bioenergy, Beijing Key Laboratory of Lignocellulosic Chemistry, College of Materials Science and Technology, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083,China

• Department of Chemistry - Angstrom Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala 75121,Sweden

Keywords: Cellulose, nanocarriers, platforms, cancer therapy, biomedical applications, tissue engineering.

Abstract: Cellulose is an important environmentally-friendly renewable polymer on the earth. Cellulose has been widely used as feedstocks for the synthesis of biomaterials, biofuels and biochemicals. Recently, cellulose and cellulose derivatives have received intense attention in biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering, scaffold, artificial blood vessel, skin grafts, artificial skin, drug carrier, and chronic skin diseases, many of which are somehow related to cancer therapy. In this mini-review, we focus on the up-to-date development of cellulosebased nanocarriers used for cancer therapy. Various cellulose-based nanocarriers such as bacterial cellulose (BC), cellulose acetate, microcrystalline cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibrills, etc, are reviewed in terms of being used in drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. Different strategies for the synthesis of cellulose-based nanocarriers are summarized. Special attention is paid on the structure and properties of cellulose-based drug carriers for cancer therapy via some representative examples. Finally, the problems and future developments of these promising polymeric nanocarriers are raised and proposed.

Cite this article as:

Meng Ling-Yan , Wang Bin , Ma Ming-Guo*, Zhu Jie-Fang*, Cellulose-based Nanocarriers as Platforms for Cancer Therapy, Current Pharmaceutical Design 2017; 23 (35) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1381612823666171031111950