Formulation and biological stability of nanomedicines in cancer treatment

Over the past few decades, despite numerous efforts by researchers and formulators, cancer based drug delivery systems have faced major issues of ineffective delivery of the precise amount of drug at the targeted sites. Also, the conventional chemotherapeutic agents have exhibited low-residence time at the targeted sites, leading to their poor bioavailability. Nanoparticle-based systems have been widely used as potential drug carriers for the effective treatment of cancer or cancer-mediated diseases. Compared to conventional chemotherapy, nanoparticle-based chemotherapy has exhibited significant advantages, including increased stability, greater specificity, increased drug-loading ability, improved controlled drug release, and increased chances of delivering hydrophobic as well as hydrophilic bioactives. Apart from therapeutic applications, these nanoparticle carrier systems have also been used for biomarker detection and diagnosis of cancer. The selection of excipients and an apt method for preparation of nanoparticle-based systems, plays a crucial role for the establishment of a stable and effective nanodrug delivery system for cancer treatment. Further, various methods have been reported that are used for the synthesis and preparation of nanoparticles or nanoparticle-based systems. This chapter mainly focusses on the aspects of cancer therapeutics, various approaches used for synthesis and preparation of cancer nanoparticulate systems, and the toxicity concerns associated with the nanoparticles used in cancer treatment.