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Biodegradable nanoparticles have been created by scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi to treat colorectal cancer. The researchers’ natural polymer-based smart nanoparticles deliver the medication in response to cues exclusively present at cancer spots.
Garima Agrawal, an assistant professor in the School of Basic Sciences, who is the team’s leader, explained the discovery: “The developed system should be capable of supporting pharmaceuticals having variable solubility in water. In this sense, utilising chitosan, a naturally generated polymer, in combination with disulfide chemistry is the most straightforward method we used to develop biodegradable nanoparticles.
The newly discovered nanoparticles are stable under normal circumstances but degrade in the presence of cancer cells at tumour sites to promote redox reactions. Researchers at IIT Mandi have created chitosan/stearic acid nanoparticles (CSSA NPS) that are redox responsive to serve as drug carriers for the delivery of doxorubicin and curcumin, two drugs that target colorectal cancer. Curcumin is a hydrophobic component of turmeric that is frequently used in food. The strategy of mixing anticancer medications with various anticancer mechanisms “allows the development of cancer therapy systems with increased efficacy,” it was claimed.
Ankur Sood and Aastha Gupta from IIT Mandi, as well as Professor Neal Silverman and his colleagues from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts, contributed to the study team under the direction of Garima Agrawal. The study was funded by the Science and Engineering Research Board of the Indian Government and IIT Mandi. The Journal Carbohydrate Polymers has published the study’s findings. Colorectal cancer is the second most frequent cancer in women and the third most common disease in men. It is the fourth most prevalent cause of cancer-related death worldwide, accounting for 8% of all cancer deaths.
