Comparison of Nanoparticle Penetration into Solid Tumors and Sites of Inflammation: Studies Using Targeted and Nontargeted Liposomes

Abstract

Aim: The vast majority of nanomedicine research is focused on the use of nanoparticles for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. However, the dense extracellular matrix of solid tumors restricts nanoparticle penetration, raising the question of whether the best applications of nanomedicines lie in oncology. Materials & methods: In this study, the uptake of folate-conjugated liposomes was compared between folate receptor-expressing tumors and folate receptor+ inflammatory lesions within the same mouse. Results: We demonstrate here that both folate-targeted and nontargeted liposomes accumulate more readily at sites of inflammation than in solid tumors. Conclusion: These data suggest that nanosized imaging and therapeutic agents may be better suited for the treatment and diagnosis of inflammatory/autoimmune diseases than cancer.

Keywords::

• cancer
• folate
• inflammation
• liposome
• nanomedicine
• nanoparticle

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.