Application of Nanoparticle for Targeted Drug Delivery in Cancer

Substantial advances in breast cancer treatments have resulted in a significant decrease in mortality. However, existing breast cancer therapies often result in high toxicity and nonspecific side effects. Therefore, better targeted delivery and increased efficacy of drugs are crucial to overcome these effects. Application of nanotechnology or nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery can resolve some of these issues and these areas of research are expanding dramatically. Our recent results showed that RGD peptide conjugated chitosan (CHP) nanoparticle encapsulated with breast cancer specific drugs control breast cancer specific target gene expression, breast cancer progression and angiogenesis using in vitro and in vivo models. In other study, we have reported that osteopontin (OPN), a chemokine like ECM protein triggers VEGF dependent breast tumor growth and angiogenesis by activating various signaling cascades. Our results also revealed that both stroma and tumor-derived OPN regulate a series of signaling network through activation of multiple kinases and transcription factors that ultimately control tumor progression and angiogenesis. Our recent results highlight the emerging role of OPN in the hypoxic adaptation of breast cancer cells that ultimately leads to HIF-1alpha dependent VEGF expression and breast tumor angiogenesis. Therefore, nanotechnology based targeted drug delivery is one of the valuable approach for the management of breast cancer.