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Review
. 2021 Jul 27;14(8):725.
doi: 10.3390/ph14080725.

Pulmonary Delivery of Anticancer Drugs via Lipid-Based Nanocarriers for the Treatment of Lung Cancer: An Update

Ibrahim M Abdulbaqi  1   2 , Reem Abou Assi  1   2 , Anan Yaghmur  3 , Yusrida Darwis  1 , Noratiqah Mohtar  1 , Thaigarajan Parumasivam  1 , Fadi G Saqallah  1 , Habibah A Wahab  1
Affiliations
Review

Pulmonary Delivery of Anticancer Drugs via Lipid-Based Nanocarriers for the Treatment of Lung Cancer: An Update

Ibrahim M Abdulbaqi et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, responsible for approximately 18.4% of all cancer mortalities in both sexes combined. The use of systemic therapeutics remains one of the primary treatments for LC. However, the therapeutic efficacy of these agents is limited due to their associated severe adverse effects, systemic toxicity and poor selectivity. In contrast, pulmonary delivery of anticancer drugs can provide many advantages over conventional routes. The inhalation route allows the direct delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to the target LC cells with high local concertation that may enhance the antitumor activity and lead to lower dosing and fewer systemic toxicities. Nevertheless, this route faces by many physiological barriers and technological challenges that may significantly affect the lung deposition, retention, and efficacy of anticancer drugs. The use of lipid-based nanocarriers could potentially overcome these problems owing to their unique characteristics, such as the ability to entrap drugs with various physicochemical properties, and their enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect for passive targeting. Besides, they can be functionalized with different targeting moieties for active targeting. This article highlights the physiological, physicochemical, and technological considerations for efficient inhalable anticancer delivery using lipid-based nanocarriers and their cutting-edge role in LC treatment.

Keywords: aerosols; dry powder inhalers; lipid-based nanocarriers; liposomes; lung cancer; nanoemulsions; nanotechnology; pulmonary delivery; targeted drug delivery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The involved clearance mechanisms and therapeutic effects of the inhaled anticancer agents-loaded nanocarriers. Dae, aerodynamic diameter; GIT, gastrointestinal tract; NPs, nanoparticles. * Therapeutic effects are obtained via expression/secretion of anticancer proteins or induction of anticancer immune responses.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The various types of the lipid-based nanocarriers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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