Nanodrug potential in cancer therapy: efficacy/toxicity studies in cancer cells

The interest of nanotechnology to find a more effective approach for drug delivery is growing fast. Nanoparticles as drug vehicles potentially improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of various types of drugs, and provide a tool to visualise molecules and tumour target cells that otherwise cannot be detected through conventional imaging. However, there are many aspects of nanoparticle formulation, characterisation and their effect on delivery of drugs and therapeutics that remain to be explored. This review summarises the main characteristics of nanoparticles for drug delivery in cancer treatment, and describes an experimental approach for evaluating efficacy and toxicity of nanocarriers in cancer cells.

Keywords: nanodrugs, nanocarriers, nanotoxicology, drug delivery, cancer treatment, tumour cells, nanomedicine, nanodiamond, microtubule, paclitaxel, cancer cells, nanotechnology, nanoparticles, therapeutics