Mucoadhesive Polymers and Their Applications in Drug Delivery Systems for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer
Caroline S. A. de Lima,
Justine P. R. O. Varca,
Victória M. Alves,
Kamila M. Nogueira,
Cassia P. C. Cruz,
M. Isabel Rial-Hermida,
Sławomir S. Kadłubowski,
Gustavo H. C. Varca,
Ademar B. Lugão
Affiliations
Caroline S. A. de Lima
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Justine P. R. O. Varca
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Victória M. Alves
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Kamila M. Nogueira
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Cassia P. C. Cruz
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
M. Isabel Rial-Hermida
I+D Farma Group (GI-1645), Departamento de Farmacología, Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Instituto de Materiales (iMATUS) and Health Research Institute of Santiago de Compostela (IDIS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Sławomir S. Kadłubowski
Institute of Applied Radiation Chemistry (IARC), Lodz University of Technology, Wroblewskiego No. 15, 93-590 Lodz, Poland
Gustavo H. C. Varca
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Ademar B. Lugão
Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP—University of São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, No. 2242, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
Bladder cancer (BC) is the tenth most common type of cancer worldwide, affecting up to four times more men than women. Depending on the stage of the tumor, different therapy protocols are applied. Non-muscle-invasive cancer englobes around 70% of the cases and is usually treated using the transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBIT) followed by the instillation of chemotherapy or immunotherapy. However, due to bladder anatomy and physiology, current intravesical therapies present limitations concerning permeation and time of residence. Furthermore, they require several frequent catheter insertions with a reduced interval between doses, which is highly demotivating for the patient. This scenario has encouraged several pieces of research focusing on the development of drug delivery systems (DDS) to improve drug time residence, permeation capacity, and target release. In this review, the current situation of BC is described concerning the disease and available treatments, followed by a report on the main DDS developed in the past few years, focusing on those based on mucoadhesive polymers as a strategy. A brief review of methods to evaluate mucoadhesion properties is also presented; lastly, different polymers suitable for this application are discussed.
