Colorectal cancer: Nanoparticles
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer, and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It remains a challenging disease to treat for a number of reasons, including drug resistance, the adverse side effects of chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy, and difficulties targeting colorectal tumours. Nanotechnologies provide an opportunity to overcome some of these hurdles via improved tumour targeting, enhanced bioavailability and reduced toxicity of drugs at non-target sites.
The known anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-cancer properties of fucoidans position them as compounds of interest for colorectal cancer therapies. A new review paper explores the potential of fucoidan-based nanoparticles to support future treatments, providing mechanisms and valuable preclinical insights.
The paper highlights the dual functionality of fucoidan-based nanoparticles, noting that they can simultaneously act as:
- Targeted delivery carriers for the release of drugs into the colon
- Bioactive anti-cancer agents
The authors of the paper concluded that fucoidan-based nanoparticles are a ‘promising multifunctional platform for colorectal cancer therapy, integrating targeted delivery with intrinsic bioactivity.’
The full paper, ‘Fucoidan-based nanoparticles for colorectal cancer therapy: Mechanisms and preclinical insights’ was published in the journal Carbohydrate Research.