Revolutionizing breast cancer treatment: Harnessing the potential of albumin nanoparticles as targeted drug delivery vehicles

Abstract

Breast carcinoma is a highly prevalent form of cancer that disproportionately affects women, particularly those above the age of 40. Conventional drug delivery systems often fail to bypass first-pass metabolism. Nanotechnology offers a solution to bypass the liver and has the added advantage of delivering non-aqueous drugs to the affected cells without affecting their metabolism. Thus, this technology enhances oral drug bioavailability through specialized uptake mechanisms, such as absorptive endocytosis. Albumin, a copious globular protein plasma, exhibits high conjugation capacity to diverse therapeutic agents, making it a versatile carter. The resulting conjugates demonstrate improved ADME profile characteristics and targeted delivery of drugs, thereby improving stability. This review is a compilation of the basis for employing albumin nanoparticles (NPs) as a delivery system for various antineoplastic agents used to treat breast cancer. It aims to investigate the mechanical approach of delivering drug-loaded albumin NPs, focusing on their interaction with targeted receptors. This method seeks to reduce the adverse cytotoxic effects associated with conventional drug delivery systems, thereby enhancing drug targeting and decreasing its cytotoxic effects.