Polysaccharide-Drug Conjugates: A Tool for Enhanced Cancer Therapy
Neena Yadav,
Arul Prakash Francis,
Veeraraghavan Vishnu Priya,
Shankargouda Patil,
Shazia Mustaq,
Sameer Saeed Khan,
Khalid J. Alzahrani,
Hamsa Jameel Banjer,
Surapaneni Krishna Mohan,
Ullas Mony,
Rukkumani Rajagopalan
Affiliations
Neena Yadav
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
Arul Prakash Francis
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
Veeraraghavan Vishnu Priya
Centre of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
Shankargouda Patil
Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, Division of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Shazia Mustaq
Dental Health Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Sameer Saeed Khan
Department of Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, Division of Oral Pathology, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Khalid J. Alzahrani
Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21974, Saudi Arabia
Hamsa Jameel Banjer
Department of Clinical Laboratories Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, Taif 21974, Saudi Arabia
Surapaneni Krishna Mohan
Departments of Biochemistry, Molecular Virology, Research, Clinical Skills & Research Institute & Simulation, Panimalar Medical College Hospital, Varadharajapuram, Poonamallee, Chennai 600123, India
Ullas Mony
Centre of Molecular Medicine and Diagnostics (COMManD), Saveetha Institute of Medical & Technical Sciences, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha University, Chennai 600077, India
Rukkumani Rajagopalan
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605014, India
Cancer is one of the most widespread deadly diseases, following cardiovascular disease, worldwide. Chemotherapy is widely used in combination with surgery, hormone and radiation therapy to treat various cancers. However, chemotherapeutic drugs can cause severe side effects due to non-specific targeting, poor bioavailability, low therapeutic indices, and high dose requirements. Several drug carriers successfully overcome these issues and deliver drugs to the desired sites, reducing the side effects. Among various drug delivery systems, polysaccharide-based carriers that target only the cancer cells have been developed to overcome the toxicity of chemotherapeutics. Polysaccharides are non-toxic, biodegradable, hydrophilic biopolymers that can be easily modified chemically to improve the bioavailability and stability for delivering therapeutics into cancer tissues. Different polysaccharides, such as chitosan, alginates, cyclodextrin, pullulan, hyaluronic acid, dextran, guar gum, pectin, and cellulose, have been used in anti-cancer drug delivery systems. This review highlights the recent progress made in polysaccharides-based drug carriers in anti-cancer therapy.
