IIT Mandi researchers have developed natural polymers based smart nanoparticles to treat colorectal cancer from renewable resources such as turmeric which can release both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs to reduce dependence on petroleum based polymers.
The redox responsive chitosan/stearic acid nanoparticles (CSSA NPs) as drug carriers for both curcumin (hydrophobic; a component from turmeric and doxorubicin (hydrophilic) drugs delivery can target colorectal cancer. This approach of combining anticancer drugs having a different mode of anticancer action allows developing the systems for cancer therapy with enhanced efficacy.
This approach of combining anticancer drugs having a different mode of anticancer action allows developing the systems for cancer therapy with enhanced efficacy as the nanoparticles release the drug in response to stimuli specific to cancer affected parts .
The findings of the research, carried by Dr Garima Agarwal Assistant Professor in school of basic sciences of the institute along with her team comprising of Dr Ankur Sood, Asha Gupta in association with team of Prof. Neal Silverman from Massachusetts University of America, has been published in the Journal of Carbohydrate Polymer.
Dr Agarwal said, “The colorectal cancer is a devastating disease leading to increased mortality worldwide and it also causes a heavy financial burden on the healthcare system globally. Being the third most common cancer in men and the second most common in women worldwide, it accounts for 8 percent of cancer deaths making it the fourth most common cause of death.”
She said ,” Researchers have been trying to develop nanoparticles from renewable resources which can be designed to release drugs in response to stimuli specific to cancer affected organs and use of natural nanoparticle chitosan in combination with disulfide chemistry .”
“The nanoparticles can be used successfully to load and release both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs having a different anticancer mechanism improving efficacy of the drug” researchers add.
Researchers have also investigated cancer cell killing efficiency through in vitro studies, and the colon targeting ability of the designed system through in vivo biodistribution experiments on c57bl/6j mice.