Metal nanoparticles as a promising technology in targeted cancer treatment

Jia-Jie Xu; Wan-Chen Zhang; Ya-Wen Guo; Xiao-Yi Chen; You-Ni Zhang

doi:10.1080/10717544.2022.2039804

Metal nanoparticles as a promising technology in targeted cancer treatment

Drug Deliv. 2022 Dec;29(1):664-678. doi: 10.1080/10717544.2022.2039804.

Authors

Jia-Jie Xu^{1

2}, Wan-Chen Zhang^{1

2

3}, Ya-Wen Guo^{1

2}, Xiao-Yi Chen⁴, You-Ni Zhang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Center, Cancer Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China.
² Key Laboratory of Endocrine Gland Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, China.
³ Second Clinical Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Clinical Research Institute, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital of Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.
⁵ Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tiantai People's Hospital of Zhejiang Province (Tiantai Branch of Zhejiang People's Hospital), Taizhou, China.

Abstract

Traditional anticancer treatments have several limitations, but cancer is still one of the deadliest diseases. As a result, new anticancer drugs are required for the treatment of cancer. The use of metal nanoparticles (NPs) as alternative chemotherapeutic drugs is on the rise in cancer research. Metal NPs have the potential for use in a wide range of applications. Natural or surface-induced anticancer effects can be found in metals. The focus of this review is on the therapeutic potential of metal-based NPs. The potential of various types of metal NPs for tumor targeting will be discussed for cancer treatment. The in vivo application of metal NPs for solid tumors will be reviewed. Risk factors involved in the clinical application of metal NPs will also be summarized.

Keywords: Cancer treatment; hyperthermia; metal nanoparticles; radiation therapy; targeting.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
Antineoplastic Agents* / therapeutic use
Humans
Metal Nanoparticles*
Nanoparticles*
Neoplasms* / drug therapy
Technology

Substances

Antineoplastic Agents

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81802674 to JJX), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (No. LY21H160049 to JJX), and Medical Health Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission (No. 2021KY482, No. 2020KY008 to JJX).