Research progress in strategies to improve the efficacy and safety of doxorubicin for cancer chemotherapy

Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2021 Oct 12. doi: 10.1080/14737140.2021.1991316. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTINTRODUCTION: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a Streptomyces peucetius-derived antibiotic and is a member of the anthracyline family. DOX exerts strong anticancer activity and has been in the practice of cancer treatment since the 1960s. DOX is commonly used to treat different cancers, including bone sarcomas, soft tissue (tendons and muscles), bladder, ovary, stomach, thyroid, breast, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, lung cancer, and myeloblastic leukemia. Although, the cumulative doses of DOX above 550mg/m2 cause irreversible cardiotoxicity and other severe adverse effects. In this context, concerning DOX, several patents have been published in the last two decades. Consequently, due to the huge volume of available information, it is worth addressing and evaluating the existing research contents and propose innovative solutions regarding DOX. This activity highlights various aspects of DOX, including registered patent analysis, pharmacological action, toxicity minimization, formulation development such as those approved by FD, under clinical trials, and newly developed nano-delivery systems.AREAS COVERED: This review analyzes the different aspects of DOX-based chemotherapeutics and the development of drug delivery systems in the literature published from 2000 to early 2020.EXPERT OPINION: The pharmacological properties of DOX have been well documented, but DOX-base...
Source: Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Source Type: research