Nanomaterials for Diagnosis and Treatment of Brain Cancer: Recent Updates

• Published in: Chemosensors Vol. 8; no. 4; p. 117
• Main Authors: Mukhtar, Mahwash, Bilal, Muhammad, Rahdar, Abbas, Barani, Mahmood, Arshad, Rabia, Behl, Tapan, Brisc, Ciprian, Banica, Florin, Bungau, Simona
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01-12-2020
• Subjects: Biomimetics; Blood-brain barrier; Brain cancer; Brain research; Brain tumors; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Carbon nanotubes; Contrast agents; Contrast media; Convulsions & seizures; Dendrimers; Diagnosis; Diagnostic systems; Drug delivery; Drug delivery systems; Drugs; Encapsulation; Glioblastoma; Lipids; Liposomes; Magnetic properties; Medical diagnosis; Medical imaging; Metastasis; Micelles; Nanocomposites; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nanostructure; Nanostructured materials; Nanotechnology; Nanotubes; Nervous system; Neuroimaging; Optical properties; Quantum dots; Radiation therapy; Reviews; Silicon dioxide; Silver; Tumors; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 2227-9040; 2227-9040
• DOI: 10.3390/chemosensors8040117

Brain tumors, especially glioblastoma, remain the most aggressive form of all the cancers because of inefficient diagnosis and profiling. Nanostructures, such as metallic nanostructures, silica nano-vehicles, quantum dots, lipid nanoparticles (NPs) and polymeric NPs, with high specificity have made it possible to permeate the blood–brain barrier (BBB). NPs possess optical, magnetic and photodynamic properties that can be exploited by surface modification, bio composition, contrast agents’ encapsulation and coating by tumor-derived cells. Hence, nanotechnology has brought on a revolution in the field of diagnosis and imaging of brain tumors and cancers. Recently, nanomaterials with biomimetic functions have been introduced to efficiently cross the BBB to be engulfed by deep skin tumors and cancer malignancies for imaging. The review focuses on nanotechnology-based diagnostic and imaging approaches for exploration in brain tumors and cancers. Moreover, the review also summarizes a few strategies to image glioblastoma and cancers by multimodal functional nanocomposites for more precise and accurate clinical diagnosis. Their unique physicochemical attributes, including nanoscale sizes, larger surface area, explicit structural features and ability to encapsulate diverse molecules on their surface, render nanostructured materials as excellent nano-vehicles to cross the blood–brain barrier and convey drug molecules to their target region. This review sheds light on the current progress of various kinds of nanomaterials, such as liposomes, nano-micelles, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, carbon dots and NPs (gold, silver and zinc oxide NPs), for efficient drug delivery in the treatment and diagnosis of brain cancer.