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Review
. 2022 Jan;42(1):374-398.
doi: 10.1002/med.21844. Epub 2021 Jul 26.

Current status and future prospects of nanomedicine for arsenic trioxide delivery to solid tumors

Marthe Sönksen  1 , Kornelius Kerl  1 , Hana Bunzen  2
Affiliations
Review

Current status and future prospects of nanomedicine for arsenic trioxide delivery to solid tumors

Marthe Sönksen et al. Med Res Rev. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Despite having a rich history as a poison, arsenic and its compounds have also gained a great reputation as promising anticancer drugs. As a pioneer, arsenic trioxide has been approved for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. Many in vitro studies suggested that arsenic trioxide could also be used in the treatment of solid tumors. However, the transition from bench to bedside turned out to be challenging, especially in terms of the drug bioavailability and concentration reaching tumor tissues. To address these issues, nanomedicine tools have been proposed. As nanocarriers of arsenic trioxide, various materials have been examined including liposomes, polymer, and inorganic nanoparticles, and many other materials. This review gives an overview of the existing strategies of delivery of arsenic trioxide in cancer treatment with a focus on the drug encapsulation approaches and medicinal impact in the treatment of solid tumors. It focuses on the progress in the last years and gives an outlook and suggestions for further improvements including theragnostic approaches and targeted delivery.

Keywords: arsenic trioxide; cancer therapy; drug delivery; nanoparticles; theragnostics.

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References

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