• Innovative Nanoparticle-Based Strategies in Brain Tumor Treatment: Chemotherapy and Targeted Drug Delivery
  • Fatemeh Maleki,1,* Mansoore Hosseini-Koupaei,2 Zahra Maravandi,3
    1. Department of Biology, Nagheshejahan higher education institute, Esfahan, Iran
    2. Department of biology. Faculty of science. Naghshejahan Higher Education Institute Isfahan Iran
    3. Department of Biology, Nagheshejahan higher education institute, Esfahan, Iran


  • Introduction: Brain cancers are regarded as one of the most complicated and deadly cancer types. It is characterized by uncontrolled growth and abnormal cell division within the brain or spinal cord. Tumors may grow fairly rapidly and damage the delicate tissues of the brain irreparably, leading to serious neurological disabilities that critically damage the quality of life. Treatments are made more difficult by the finding of tumors in sensitive locations and the restrictions in the treatment options. This shall introduce a new dimension to treatment improvement by using nanoparticles.
  • Methods: The following review will outline some of the drugs used in brain tumors and the role of nanoparticles in enhancing drug delivery. Temozolomide, an alkylating chemotherapy agent used commonly for glioblastoma; inhibits DNA synthesis in tumor cells, leading to tumor atrophy. Temozolomide shows better responses when used with radiation therapy. Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against VEGF, and its mechanism of action is inhibition of neo-angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, which subsequently slow tumor growth. Temozolomide shows improved responses when given in combination with radiation therapy. The monoclonal antibody against Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, bevacizumab, inhibits neo-angiogenesis tumor growth. Carmustine is an alkylating agent, too, but drug delivery to the correct location with minimum systemic toxicity is achieved by placing it into the brain by localized implants. Eflornithine inhibits Ornithine Decarboxylase, an enzyme involved in cell proliferation. In this review, the efficacy of drugs in the control of tumor growth and outcomes will be discussed. This can be enhanced by nanoparticles such as lipids, biocompatible polymeric, gold, magnetic, albumin, bioactive, viral, hybrid, and light-controlled, which might improve the delivery with reduced toxic side effects of drugs.
  • Results: temozolomide in combination with radiation has been demonstrated to significantly increase survival from a median of 12.1 to 14.6 months among patients with glioblastoma. However, frequent dosing and poor delivery of the drug across the brain remain challenges. Bevacizumab has shown a reduction in the volume of tumors, thus alleviating symptoms in patients who did not have any response to standard treatments; it needs close monitoring of side effects such as hypertension and bleeding. Carmustine, mainly in the form of local implants, increases the drug concentration at the position of the tumor and reduces systemic side effects, thereby improving survival in cases of high-grade glioblastoma. Eflornithine efficiently inhibits the ODC enzymes and decreases the growth of cancerous cells, thereby increasing the efficacy of treatment, more so in combination with other drugs against resistant tumors. The use of nanotechnology in medication administration has advanced significantly. Drug release is regulated by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which is penetrated easily by lipid nanoparticles. For instance, polymeric nanoparticles are easily manipulated to enable the targeted delivery of medications and are biocompatible. Gold nanoparticles enable targeted therapy and imaging due to their optical and thermal properties. While magnetic nanoparticles can direct drugs through the effect of external magnetic fields, light-controlled nanomaterials offer improvement by enabling better drug delivery in localization and timing with light activation.
  • Conclusion: The article refers to huge progress in the treatment of brain tumors, which was brought about with the introduction of novel therapeutics such as TMZ, BEV, CCNU, and EFLNTH and advanced drug delivery technologies that improved the survival of patients with high-grade glioblastoma. Temozolomide acts on DNA synthesis to prolong survival time. Bevacizumab reduces cerebral edema and clinical symptoms as it obstructs the formation of new blood vessels. The local carmustine implants provide drug concentration at the tumor site, thereby reducing systemic side effects. Eflornithine inhibits key enzymes involved in cell proliferation and enhances therapeutic outcomes. Some benefits of nanoparticles include increased localization and improved systemic toxicity with lipid nanoparticles and biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles. These magnetic and light-controlled nanoparticles provide targeted and responsive drug delivery for better treatment efficiency. However, problems still exist in poor absorption of the drug across the BBB and long-term side effects monitoring. Focusing on nanoparticle-based delivery systems and their incorporation into existing treatments is crucial to enhancing the efficacy and outcome of brain tumor therapy.
  • Keywords: Brain tumors, Nanoparticles, Targeted drug delivery, Chemotherapy, Blood-brain barrier