Dual-functional drug liposomes in the treatment of resistant cancers

Mu LM, Ju RJ, Liu R, Bu YZ, Zhang JY, Li XQ, Zeng Fan, LuWL* Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2017 Jun 1;115:46-56. 

    Dual-functional drug liposomes are drugs-containing phospholipid bilayer vesicles that have two or more functions capable of improving therapeutic efficacy and enhancing the treatment experience of patients. Multi-drug resistance exists extensively in chemotherapy, leading to recurrence and metastasis of cancer after treatment. The objectives of this review article were to briefly review and comment on the design and developments of dual-functional drug liposomes to treat resistant cancers. Conventional drug liposomes have achieved some success, but they also display some disadvantages, e.g., drug resistance. In contrast, dual-functional drug liposomes were demonstrated to have unique roles in the treatment of resistant cancers by circumventing the drug efflux by adenosine triphosphate binding cassette transporters, eliminating cancer stem cells, destroying mitochondria, initiating apoptosis, regulating autophagy, destroying supply channels, utilizing the microenvironment, and silencing genes of resistant cancers. Meanwhile, dual-functional drug liposomes have good biocompatibility, long circulation in the blood, and low systemic toxicity, showing good potential for the future treatment of cancers.