Cancer Stem Cells and Drug Resistance: the Potential of Nanomedicine

Overview

Journal Nanomedicine (Lond)

Specialty Biotechnology

Date 2012 Apr 5

PMID 22471722

Citations 190

Authors

Serguei Vinogradov

Xin Wei

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Properties of the small group of cancer cells called tumor-initiating or cancer stem cells (CSCs) involved in drug resistance, metastasis and relapse of cancers can significantly affect tumor therapy. Importantly, tumor drug resistance seems to be closely related to many intrinsic or acquired properties of CSCs, such as quiescence, specific morphology, DNA repair ability and overexpression of antiapoptotic proteins, drug efflux transporters and detoxifying enzymes. The specific microenvironment (niche) and hypoxic stability provide additional protection against anticancer therapy for CSCs. Thus, CSC-focused therapy is destined to form the core of any effective anticancer strategy. Nanomedicine has great potential in the development of CSC-targeting drugs, controlled drug delivery and release, and the design of novel gene-specific drugs and diagnostic modalities. This review is focused on tumor drug resistance-related properties of CSCs and describes current nanomedicine approaches, which could form the basis of novel combination therapies for eliminating metastatic and CSCs.

Citing Articles

Recent advancements in genistein nanocarrier systems for effective cancer management.

Arora D, Vanshita , Bhati H, Bansal K Med Oncol. 2025; 42(4):101.

PMID: 40072692 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-025-02649-w.

Evaluation of Notch1 and CD10 Expressions in Colorectal Carcinoma and Their Relationship with Prognosis.

Elkady N, Abdelaziz R, Abdallah R Iran J Pathol. 2025; 20(1):68-75.

PMID: 40060224 PMC: 11887633. DOI: 10.30699/ijp.2024.2029781.3304.

Comprehensive review of drug resistance in mammalian cancer stem cells: implications for cancer therapy.

Mengistu B, Tsegaw T, Demessie Y, Getnet K, Bitew A, Kinde M Cancer Cell Int. 2024; 24(1):406.

PMID: 39695669 PMC: 11657890. DOI: 10.1186/s12935-024-03558-0.

DLK1 Is Associated with Stemness Phenotype in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Cell Lines.

da Silva D, Araldi R, Belizario M, Rocha W, Monteiro de Barros Maciel R, Cerutti J Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(22).

PMID: 39595993 PMC: 11594232. DOI: 10.3390/ijms252211924.

A novel hollow iron nanoparticle system loading PEG-FeO with C5a receptor antagonist for breast cancer treatment.

Yang H, Li G, Zhang J, Zhao J, Zhao Y, Wu Y Front Immunol. 2024; 15:1466180.

PMID: 39483473 PMC: 11524822. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1466180.

References

Mamaeva V, Rosenholm J, Bate-Eya L, Bergman L, Peuhu E, Duchanoy A . Mesoporous silica nanoparticles as drug delivery systems for targeted inhibition of Notch signaling in cancer. Mol Ther. 2011; 19(8):1538-46. PMC: 3149161. DOI: 10.1038/mt.2011.105. View

Pan X, Thompson R, Meng X, Wu D, Xu L . Tumor-targeted RNA-interference: functional non-viral nanovectors. Am J Cancer Res. 2011; 1(1):25-42. PMC: 3092671. View

Lim K, Bisht S, Bar E, Maitra A, Eberhart C . A polymeric nanoparticle formulation of curcumin inhibits growth, clonogenicity and stem-like fraction in malignant brain tumors. Cancer Biol Ther. 2011; 11(5):464-73. PMC: 3087900. DOI: 10.4161/cbt.11.5.14410. View

Li R, Ying X, Zhang Y, Ju R, Wang X, Yao H . All-trans retinoic acid stealth liposomes prevent the relapse of breast cancer arising from the cancer stem cells. J Control Release. 2010; 149(3):281-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2010.10.019. View

Upadhyay K, Bhatt A, Mishra A, Dwarakanath B, Jain S, Schatz C . The intracellular drug delivery and anti tumor activity of doxorubicin loaded poly(gamma-benzyl L-glutamate)-b-hyaluronan polymersomes. Biomaterials. 2010; 31(10):2882-92. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.12.043. View

Kobune M, Takimoto R, Murase K, Iyama S, Sato T, Kikuchi S . Drug resistance is dramatically restored by hedgehog inhibitors in CD34+ leukemic cells. Cancer Sci. 2009; 100(5):948-55. PMC: 11158794. DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2009.01111.x. View

Patil Y, Swaminathan S, Sadhukha T, Ma L, Panyam J . The use of nanoparticle-mediated targeted gene silencing and drug delivery to overcome tumor drug resistance. Biomaterials. 2009; 31(2):358-65. PMC: 2783414. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2009.09.048. View

Schwartz D, Bankson J, Lemos Jr R, Lai S, Thittai A, He Y . Radiosensitization and stromal imaging response correlates for the HIF-1 inhibitor PX-478 given with or without chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Ther. 2010; 9(7):2057-67. PMC: 2935253. DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-09-0768. View

Hu C, Li H, Li J, Zhu Z, Yin S, Hao X . Analysis of ABCG2 expression and side population identifies intrinsic drug efflux in the HCC cell line MHCC-97L and its modulation by Akt signaling. Carcinogenesis. 2008; 29(12):2289-97. DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgn223. View

10.

Milane L, Duan Z, Amiji M . Development of EGFR-targeted polymer blend nanocarriers for combination paclitaxel/lonidamine delivery to treat multi-drug resistance in human breast and ovarian tumor cells. Mol Pharm. 2010; 8(1):185-203. PMC: 3817847. DOI: 10.1021/mp1002653. View

11.

Wirthner R, Wrann S, Balamurugan K, Wenger R, Stiehl D . Impaired DNA double-strand break repair contributes to chemoresistance in HIF-1 alpha-deficient mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Carcinogenesis. 2008; 29(12):2306-16. DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgn231. View

12.

Wu W, Shen J, Banerjee P, Zhou S . Water-dispersible multifunctional hybrid nanogels for combined curcumin and photothermal therapy. Biomaterials. 2010; 32(2):598-609. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.08.112. View

13.

Grainger S, Serna J, Sunny S, Zhou Y, Deng C, El-Sayed M . Pulsed ultrasound enhances nanoparticle penetration into breast cancer spheroids. Mol Pharm. 2010; 7(6):2006-19. PMC: 2997904. DOI: 10.1021/mp100280b. View

14.

Li R, Wu R, Zhao L, Wu M, Yang L, Zou H . P-glycoprotein antibody functionalized carbon nanotube overcomes the multidrug resistance of human leukemia cells. ACS Nano. 2010; 4(3):1399-408. DOI: 10.1021/nn9011225. View

15.

Bae Y, Park K . Targeted drug delivery to tumors: myths, reality and possibility. J Control Release. 2011; 153(3):198-205. PMC: 3272876. DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2011.06.001. View

16.

Patil Y, Sadhukha T, Ma L, Panyam J . Nanoparticle-mediated simultaneous and targeted delivery of paclitaxel and tariquidar overcomes tumor drug resistance. J Control Release. 2009; 136(1):21-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2009.01.021. View

17.

Choi Y, Rho J, Lee S, Jang W, Lee S, Kim C . HIF-1alpha modulation by topoisomerase inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2009; 135(8):1047-53. DOI: 10.1007/s00432-009-0543-2. View

18.

Liu T, Cheng W, Lai D, Huang Y, Guo L . Characterization of primary ovarian cancer cells in different culture systems. Oncol Rep. 2010; 23(5):1277-84. DOI: 10.3892/or_00000761. View

19.

Teng Y, Wang X, Wang Y, Ma D . Wnt/beta-catenin signaling regulates cancer stem cells in lung cancer A549 cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010; 392(3):373-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.01.028. View

20.

Wu W, Shen J, Banerjee P, Zhou S . Core-shell hybrid nanogels for integration of optical temperature-sensing, targeted tumor cell imaging, and combined chemo-photothermal treatment. Biomaterials. 2010; 31(29):7555-66. DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2010.06.030. View