Development of Ligand Appended Lipid Nanoparticulate Systems of Anti-Cancer Agent for the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Colorectal cancer remains the third most common cancer causing death in majority of the population worldwide. Chemotherapeutical treatment generally includes treatment by administration of chemotherapeutical formulations mostly by intravenous route of administration which is painful, toxic, time consuming and costly for the patients. Chemotherapy also causes toxicity and cell death to other normal cells in the body apart from cancerous cells. The aim of the present investigation was to formulate an orally administrable nano-particulate drug delivery system which causes lower exposure to normal body cells by higher efficacy of targeting the cancerous cells, producing lower toxicity rates and avoiding maximum possible side effects. Henceforth, an anti-neoplastic agent has been used in order to prepare Nano-structured Lipid Carriers (NLCs) by High Pressure Homogenizer which can be administered orally and thereby exert its anti-cancer activity on the affected cancerous region. Oral application of the NLCs can be made possible by modifying the surface of the NLCs by PEGylating them and thereby its uptake by Gastrointestinal Lymphatic System of the body. Also PEGylation helps the NLCs to escape from RES uptake which can cause NLCs to degrade in the systemic circulation providing long circulation and exerting the effect. Henceforth, PEGylated NLCs were formulated and optimized using Box-Behnken Design and in-vivo study on tumour induced animal model was performed in order to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of the formulation