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Cancer multidrug resistance: mechanisms involved and strategies for circumvention using a drug delivery system

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Abstract

Multidrug resistance (MDR), the principal mechanism by which many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy, is one of the major obstacles to the successful clinical treatment of various types of cancer. Several key regulators are responsible for mediating MDR, a process that renders chemotherapeutic drugs ineffective in the internal organelles of target cells. A nanoparticulate drug delivery system (DDS) is a potentially promising tool for circumventing such MDR, which can be achieved by targeting tumor cells themselves or tumor endothelial cells that support the survival of MDR cancer cells. The present article discusses key factors that are responsible for MDR in cancer cells, with a specific focus on the application of DDS to overcome MDR via the use of chemotherapy or macromolecules.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in parts by grants from the Special Education and Research Expenses of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan (MEXT); Nagai Foundation, Tokyo; as well as by a Grant-in-Aid for Research on Medical Device Development from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan (MHLW).

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  1. Laboratory of Innovative Nanomedicine, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12, Nishi 6, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0812, Japan

    Golam Kibria, Hiroto Hatakeyama & Hideyoshi Harashima

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Kibria, G., Hatakeyama, H. & Harashima, H. Cancer multidrug resistance: mechanisms involved and strategies for circumvention using a drug delivery system. Arch. Pharm. Res. 37, 4–15 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-013-0276-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12272-013-0276-2

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