Oral lipid nanomedicines: Current status and future perspectives in cancer treatment

Oral anticancer drugs have earned a seat at the table, as the need for homecare treatment in oncology has increased. Interest in this field is growing as a result of their proven efficacy, lower costs and positive patient uptake. However, the gastrointestinal barrier is still the main obstacle to surmount in chemotherapeutic oral delivery. Anticancer nanomedicines have been proposed to solve this quandary. Among these, lipid nanoparticles are described to be efficiently absorbed while protecting drugs from early degradation in hostile environments. Their intestinal lymphatic tropism or mucoadhesive/penetrative properties give them unique characteristics for oral administration. Considering that chronic cancer cases are increasing over time, it is important to be able to provide treatments with low toxicity and low prices. The challenges, opportunities and therapeutic perspectives of lipid nanoparticles in this area will be discussed in this review, taking into consideration the pre-clinical and clinical progress made in the last decade. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction 239 2. Lipid nanoparticles and the gastrointestinal barrier 239 2.1. The gastrointestinal tract and the intestinal mucus barrier 239 2.2. Lipid nanoparticles to protect drugs from degradation in the gastrointestinal tract 240 2.3. Engineering nanoparticles to cross the gastrointestinal mucus barrier 241 2.4. The lymphatic pathway 242 3. Lipid nanoparticles for oral delivery in cancer therapy 243 3.1. Taxanes and taxane derivatives 243 3.2. Antimetabolites, alkylating agents and topoisomerase inhibitors 244 3.3. New generation anticancer agents 245 3.4. Combined therapies 246

Automated summary

Oral anticancer drugs play a crucial role in cancer treatment, and lipid nanoparticles are proposed to overcome the main obstacle in oral chemotherapy delivery. Lipid nanoparticles have unique characteristics that allow efficient drug absorption and protection from early degradation.