Application of Natural Biopolymersand its Derivatives as Nano -Drug Delivery Systems in Cancer Treatment

This review mainly focuses on nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems fabricated from plants (starch, cellulose, pectin), animals (chitosan, gelatin) and microorganisms (dextran). Herein, the focus is on the physical-chemical properties of biopolymers and its derivatives and the mechanism of action in the treatments of cancer. Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems improved efficacy by: increasing half-life of vulnerable drugs and proteins, improving the solubility of hydrophobic drugs, and allowing controlled and targeted release of drugs in diseased site. Of all the mentioned biopolymers, only dextran and pure pectin are problematic. Some clinical studies have shown unexpected side effects caused by dextran such as thrombocytopenia and hepatotoxicity and, pure pectin-based materials, undesirable swelling and corrosion properties. Doxorubicin has been used in combination with almost all of these biopolymers because it is widely used as an effective chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of many types of solid tumors of the breast, lung, colon, ovary, prostate and bladder.