Stealth nanomedicines combat cancer and cut toxic effects of chemo


Date:
March 10, 2022
Source:
University of South Australia
Summary:
New research has identified that the frequently used chemotherapy
drug (5-FU or Fluorouracil) is 100 per cent more effective at
targeting tumors (rather than surrounding tissues) when administered
using an optimized liposomal formulation.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Nanomedicines -- typically drugs hidden within nanoscopic fatty membranes ('liposomes') -- have potential to transform chemotherapy treatments,
improving drug delivery and reducing toxic side effects for thousands
of cancer patients every year.


==========================================================================
Now, world first research conducted by the University of South Australia
has identified that the frequently used chemotherapy drug (5-FU or Fluorouracil) is 100 per cent more effective at targeting tumours
(rather than surrounding tissues) when administered using an optimised liposomal formulation.

Using a minimally invasive sampling technique known as micro-dialysis this
is the first time that the biodistribution of 5-FU liposome formulations
has been quantified in this way -- something that could not be achieved
as effectively using current imaging approaches.

In Australia, about 150,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each
year. It is a leading cause of death worldwide accounting for nearly 10
million deaths a year (nearly one in six deaths).

Chemotherapy is regularly used to treat many cancers, with 5-FU being an important drug used in treatment. Side effects of this drug can include
nausea and vomiting, fatigue, hair loss, diarrhea or constipation,
weight fluctuations, frequent infections, and mouth sores.

Lead researcher and co-Director at UniSA's Centre for Pharmaceutical Innovation, Professor Clive Prestidge, says the discovery could change
the way chemotherapy is administered, providing a better quality of life
for thousands of cancer patients.

"Chemotherapy is regularly administered to treat many different types
of cancers, including breast and colon cancers, but one of the major
setbacks of 5-FU is that it does not distribute well to tumour issues
and can cause high levels of off-target damage," Prof Prestidge says.

"As a result, many patients suffer adverse effects and can get very sick
during treatment.

"Liposomal formulations present great opportunities for safer and more effective cancer medications because they prolong the retention of
encapsulated drugs and can better target tumours. But optimising them
for chemotherapy drugs has always proved challenging.

"Our micro-dialysis approach is the first to quantify how
liposomal-specific delivery of 5-FU can reduce tumour growth with fewer
toxic side effects, so it has the potential to dramatically transform many cancer treatments and deliver better outcomes for people with cancer."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_South_Australia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Wen Wang, Paul Joyce, Kristen Bremmell, Robert Milne, Clive
A. Prestidge.

Liposomal 5-Fluorouracil Polymer Complexes Facilitate Tumor-Specific
Delivery: Pharmaco-Distribution Kinetics Using Microdialysis.

Pharmaceutics, 2022; 14 (2): 221 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14020221 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220310100008.htm

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