Insights into Aptamer–Drug Delivery Systems against Prostate Cancer
Xueni Wang,
Qian Zhou,
Xiaoning Li,
Xia Gan,
Peng Liu,
Xiaotao Feng,
Gang Fang,
Yonghong Liu
Affiliations
Xueni Wang
Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
Qian Zhou
Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
Xiaoning Li
School of Foreign Languages, Nanning Normal University, 3 Hexing Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530299, China
Xia Gan
Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
Peng Liu
Center for Medical Innovation, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
Xiaotao Feng
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Foundation Research, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
Gang Fang
Guangxi Zhuang Yao Medicine Center of Engineering and Technology, Guangxi University of Chinese Medicine, 13 Wuhe Road, Qingxiu District, Nanning 530200, China
Yonghong Liu
CAS Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Bio-Resources and Ecology, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Marine Materia Medica, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China
Prostate cancer is a common cancer in elderly males. Significant progress has been made in the drug therapies for prostate cancer in recent years. However, side effects are still problems that have not been overcome by the currently used anti-prostate cancer drugs. Novel technologies can be applied to reduce or even eliminate the side effects of drugs. An aptamer may be a sequence of nucleic acids or peptides that can specifically recognize proteins or cells. Taking advantage of this feature, scientists have designed aptamer–drug delivery systems for the development of anti-prostate cancer agents. Theoretically, these aptamer–drug delivery systems can specifically recognize prostate cancer cells and then induce cell death without attacking normal cells. We collected the relevant literature in this field and found that at least nine compounds have been prepared as aptamer–drug delivery systems to evaluate their precise anti-prostate cancer effects. However, the currently studied aptamer–drug delivery systems have not yet entered the market due to defects. Here, we analyze the published data, summarize the characteristics of these delivery systems, and propose ways to promote their application, thus promoting the development of the aptamer–drug delivery systems against prostate cancer.
