Recent developments in the co-delivery of siRNA and small molecule anticancer drugs for cancer treatment

Because of the complexity of cancer, combination therapy is becoming increasingly important to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer and to enhance apoptosis. Cancer treatment using nanocarriers to co-deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) and small molecule anticancer drugs has gained more attention because of its ability to generate synergistic anticancer effects via different mechanisms of action. This article provides a brief review on the recent developments of nanotechnology-based anticancer drug and/or siRNA delivery systems for cancer therapy. Particularly, the synergistic effects of combinatorial anticancer drug and siRNA therapy in various cancer models employing multifunctional drug/siRNA co-delivery nanocarriers have been discussed.