• Stealth nanomedicines combat cancer and

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Mar 10 21:30:42 2022
    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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