Camptothecin loaded nano-delivery systems in the cancer therapeutic domains: A critical examination of the literature

For over a century, modern therapy has been at battle with malignancy, with no apparent victory in sight. Cancer therapies have come a long way, but they still need to be more targeted and have fewer systemic side effects to showcase a superior therapeutic efficacy. In such a pursuit, nanotechnology comes up to the rescue with a myriad of therapeutic benefits appended with a marginally low adverse impacts. The wide spread usage of nanotechnology over the past two decades has already led to a wide range of advancements in the therapeutic fields, with the capability to target malignant tissues either passively or actively. A potential chemotherapeutic drug, camptothecin has demonstrated notable anti-tumor action against an array of malignancies, including breast, ovarian, colon, lung, and stomach cancers. The widespread clinical usage of camptothecin is constrained by its insolubility in water, quick reversion of active to the inactive form in the biological system, high prevalence of resistance to a number of chemotherapeutics, and appended adverse effects to normal healthy tissues from extended use. However, lipid-based, polymeric and inorganic nano formulations are now being researched upon for the targeted delivery of camptothecin for an array of malignancies. This review article presents the applications of nanotools for camptothecin targeting in diverse malignancies, both actively and passively. An elaborative discussion on the hurdles for the clinical translation of the nano formulations are also discussed.