Page 9 - ARNM-2-4

Advances in Radiotherapy &

Nuclear Medicine

REVIEW ARTICLE
Applications of radionuclide-carrying liposomes

for diagnosis and treatment of cancer

3
1,2
2
Rashmi Basu , Joyce G. Schwartz , and William T. Phillips *
1 Keystone School, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
2 Department of Radiology, Long School of Medicine, University of Texas Health-San Antonio, San
Antonio, Texas, United States of America
3 Department of Pathology, Methodist Hospital, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Abstract

Using nanocapsules to deliver diagnostic and therapeutic agents to targeted
biological sites enhances the safety and effectiveness of healthcare by decreasing
toxicity and increasing the accumulation of medicinal agents at targeted sites.
Liposomes, nanocapsules made of naturally occurring lipids, boast many advantages
for the delivery of therapeutic agents. This article reviews both the advantages and
challenges associated with liposomal drug delivery for the treatment of cancerous
tumors and infectious diseases. These minute spherical sacs of phospholipid
molecules are flexible carriers that can be modified in various ways to optimize
their use. Examples of this include alteration of the size of liposomes to selectively
accumulate in tumor microenvironments and “PEGylation” of their surface to reduce
uptake of liposomes by the mononuclear phagocytic system (MPS). While one of the
main challenges of liposomal drug delivery is the heightened uptake of liposomes by
*Corresponding author: the MPS, this unique property can be used to target diseased areas with a significant
William T. Phillips MPS presence. Furthermore, the liposomal structure can be manipulated to allow
(phillips@uthscsa.edu)
for the triggered release of internal contents with externally controlled factors.
Citation: Basu R, Schwartz JG, Liposomes carrying therapeutic radionuclides can be injected directly into solid
Phillips WT. Applications of
radionuclide-carrying liposomes tumors and dispersed throughout the tumor by convection-enhanced delivery. The
for diagnosis and treatment of flexibility and pliability of liposomes allow them to move through tight spaces within
cancer. Adv Radiother Nucl Med. a tumor with much greater dispersion and penetration when compared to more rigid
2024;2(4):4373.
doi: 10.36922/arnm.4373 nanoparticles. Due to the benefits of radionuclide-carrying liposomes in disease
diagnosis and delivery of chemotherapeutic agents, their utilization is expected to
Received: July 30, 2024 be expanded.
Accepted: September 12, 2024
Published Online: October 14, 2024 Keywords: Chelator; Drug delivery; Liposome; Macrophage; Mononuclear phagocyte
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). system; Radionuclide
This is an Open-Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, 1. Introduction
provided the original work is
properly cited. Drug delivery is commonly used to increase the bioavailability of drugs, reduce contact
Publisher’s Note: AccScience between toxic drugs and healthy tissue, control the release of encapsulated contents,
Publishing remains neutral with and possibly lessen the frequency of doses of treatment needed by patients. The concept
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional of drug delivery can range from oral ingestion of encapsulated pill to intravenous
affiliations administration of nanocapsules. The applications of drug delivery are extensive, ranging

Volume 2 Issue 4 (2024) 1 doi: 10.36922/arnm.4373