Use of Lipids, Polymers, and Peptides for Drug Delivery and Targeting to Cancer Cells or Specific Organs

Abstract

Cancer has been the most deleterious disease in recent times, and unfortunately its spread is increasing. Systemic treatment with chemotherapeutics remains the conventional way of treating many cancers, despite the serious damage long-term chemotherapy can cause in healthy tissues. Many therapeutic strategies have achieved popular practical applications, but drug delivery systems still face challenges associated with safety, and this has led to the development of safer drug delivery methods composed of biocompatible substances. In this respect, lipid-, polymer-, and peptide-based drug delivery systems have been proposed as safer candidates for cancer therapy. These delivery methods are expected to as biodegradable systems with low cytotoxicity for cancer therapy. Therefore, in this chapter, the authors discuss use of lipids, polymers, and peptides as delivery vehicles for chemotherapeutic agents and their structural characteristics.