Synthetic nanoparticles can be used to target drug delivery within the body, increasing treatment efficacy while minimizing adverse effects. But these nanoparticles may have toxic side effects of their own, carry high costs to produce on a large scale and generate biohazardous waste. So Huang-Ge Zhang and colleagues (University of Louisville, KY) looked to nature for inspiration.
They analyzed nanoscale particles from several different fruits and found that grapefruit-derived nanovectors (GNVs) could be used to deliver compounds such as chemotherapeutic agents, short interfering RNA, DNA vectors and antibodies to different cell types (Nat. Commun. doi:10.1038/ncomms2886; published online 21 May 2013). In mice with implanted brain tumors, administration of GNVs loaded with JSI-124, a compound known to inhibit tumor growth, resulted in greater reduction in tumor growth and longer survival than administration of JSI-124 alone. Zhang's team also found that GNV delivery of paclitaxel, a chemotherapeutic drug, in mouse xenograft models of colon cancer enhanced its therapeutic effect by inhibiting growth of the implanted tumors.
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