Issue 3, 2019

Hypoxia-targeted drug delivery

Abstract

Hypoxia is a state of low oxygen tension found in numerous solid tumours. It is typically associated with abnormal vasculature, which results in a reduced supply of oxygen and nutrients, as well as impaired delivery of drugs. The hypoxic nature of tumours often leads to the development of localized heterogeneous environments characterized by variable oxygen concentrations, relatively low pH, and increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The hypoxic heterogeneity promotes tumour invasiveness, metastasis, angiogenesis, and an increase in multidrug-resistant proteins. These factors decrease the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer drugs and can provide a barrier to advancing drug leads beyond the early stages of preclinical development. This review highlights various hypoxia-targeted and activated design strategies for the formulation of drugs or prodrugs and their mechanism of action for tumour diagnosis and treatment.

Graphical abstract: Hypoxia-targeted drug delivery

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
03 Oct 2018
First published
21 Dec 2018

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2019,48, 771-813

Hypoxia-targeted drug delivery

A. Sharma, J. F. Arambula, S. Koo, R. Kumar, H. Singh, J. L. Sessler and J. S. Kim, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2019, 48, 771 DOI: 10.1039/C8CS00304A

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