Iranian researchers from Tehran University of Medical Sciences produced a new type of edible nanodrug for the treatment of intestine cancer and studied its performance.
Gemcitabine is an anticancer drug that is soluble in water, and it is presented to the market only in form of injection and there is no edible version of the drug. This drug is used in the treatment of some cancers such as intestine cancer. The amount of drug diffusion into the cell is limited due to the solubility of the drug and the fact that it is taken by the carriers existing on the cell surface. In this research, a nanoparticle system was designed by using chitosan, which increases the effectiveness of the drug in the elimination of cancer cells.
Dr. Hosniyeh Hosseinzadeh, one of the researchers, explained about the main advantages of the designed nanodrug, and said, “The produced nanoparticles can decrease the amount of gemcitabine drug used in the treatment of intestine cancer. Therefore, decreasing the side effects of the drug, increasing its effectiveness and decreasing the costs of the drug are among the main advantages of the proposed nanodrug.”
“Ease of application is the advantage of the edible version of the drug, which had so far been available only in form of injection,” she added.
The produced carriers in this research have high mucoadhesive properties. Taking into consideration the fact that high amount of mucin is produced in various parts of the digestive system such as intestine, the nanoparticles can be used as effective agents in drug delivery to these areas.
Results of the research have been published in International Journal of Nanomedicine, vol. 7, issue 1, 2012, pp. 1851-1863.