Nano-Gels: Recent Advancement in Fabrication Methods for Mitigation of Skin Cancer

Ghallab Alotaibi; Sitah Alharthi; Biswajit Basu; Dipanjana Ash; Swarnali Dutta; Sudarshan Singh; Bhupendra G Prajapati; Sankha Bhattacharya; Vijay R Chidrawar; Havagiray Chitme

doi:10.3390/gels9040331

Nano-Gels: Recent Advancement in Fabrication Methods for Mitigation of Skin Cancer

Gels. 2023 Apr 13;9(4):331. doi: 10.3390/gels9040331.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Shaqra University, Al-Dawadmi Campus, Al-Dawadmi 11961, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Global College of Pharmaceutical Technology, Krishnagar 741102, West Bengal, India.
³ Department of Pharmaceutics, BCDA College of Pharmacy & Technology, Kolkata 700127, West Bengal, India.
⁴ Department of Pharmacology, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi 835215, Jharkhand, India.
⁵ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
⁶ S. K. Patel College of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ganpat University, Mehsana 384012, Gujarat, India.
⁷ Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy and Technology Management, SVKM's NMIMS Deemed-to-Be University, Shirpur 425405, Maharashtra, India.
⁸ Department of Pharmacology, Raghavendra Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Ananthapuramu 515721, Andhra Pradesh, India.
⁹ Faculty of Pharmacy, DIT University, Dehradun 248009, Uttarakhand, India.

Abstract

In the 21st century, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers have become an epidemic outbreak worldwide. Therefore, the exploration of all potential preventative and therapeutic measures based on either physical or bio-chemical mechanisms is essential via understanding precise pathophysiological pathways (Mitogen-activated protein kinase, Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase Pathway, and Notch signaling pathway) and other aspects of such skin malignancies. Nano-gel, a three-dimensional polymeric cross-linked porous hydrogel having a diameter of 20-200 nm, possesses dual properties of both hydrogel and nanoparticle. The capacity of high drug entrapment efficiency with greater thermodynamic stability, remarkable solubilization potential, and swelling behavior of nano-gel becomes a promising candidate as a targeted drug delivery system in the treatment of skin cancer. Nano-gel can be either synthetically or architectonically modified for responding to either internal or external stimuli, including radiation, ultrasound, enzyme, magnetic, pH, temperature, and oxidation-reduction to achieve controlled release of pharmaceuticals and several bio-active molecules such as proteins, peptides, genes via amplifying drug aggregation in the active targeted tissue and reducing adverse pharmacological effects. Several drugs, such as anti-neoplastic biomolecules having short biological half-lives and prompt enzyme degradability capacity, must be appropriate for administration employing either chemically bridged or physically constructed nano-gel frameworks. The comprehensive review summarizes the advancement in the preparation and characterization methods of targeted nano-gel with enhanced pharmacological potential and preserved intracellular safety limits for the mitigation of skin malignancies with a special emphasize on skin cancer inducing pathophysiological pathways and prospective research opportunities for skin malignancy targeted nano-gels.

Keywords: mitogen-activated protein kinase; nano-gel; polymeric cross linked; skin malignancies; thermodynamic stability.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The authors would like to thank the Deanship of Scientific Research at Shaqra University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for financial supporting this study.