{"title":"Carboxymethyl Starch: A Contemporary Paradigm for Anti Cancer Drug Delivery","authors":"Rabab Fatima","doi":"10.1002/ddr.70082","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>Carboxymethyl starch (CMS) represents a significant advancement in addressing the multifaceted challenges of anticancer drug delivery, including poor aqueous solubility, nonspecific biodistribution, and premature drug release. The strategic incorporation of carboxymethyl moiety (-CH<sub>2</sub>COOH) onto the starch backbone confers a suite of physicochemical properties that markedly enhance its efficacy as a drug carrier. The carboxymethyl groups, with a pKa of approximately 4.5, exhibit pronounced pH-responsiveness, undergoing a transition from a predominantly deprotonated, hydrophilic state at physiological pH (7.4) to a more protonated form in the acidic tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5–6.8) facilitating targeted drug release at neoplastic site. The mucoadhesive attributes ascribable to carboxyl-mucin interactions, prolong gastrointestinal residence time for oral formulations, optimizing drug absorption. Furthermore, these functional groups serve as reactive sites for subsequent modifications, facilitating the development of multifunctional, targeted drug delivery systems with enhanced biocompatibility and minimized off-target effects. The versatility and biocompatibility of CMS position it as a promising platform for next-generation anticancer therapeutics, offering potential for significant advancements in oncological treatment modalities.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":11291,"journal":{"name":"Drug Development Research","volume":"86 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Drug Development Research","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ddr.70082","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MEDICINAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Carboxymethyl starch (CMS) represents a significant advancement in addressing the multifaceted challenges of anticancer drug delivery, including poor aqueous solubility, nonspecific biodistribution, and premature drug release. The strategic incorporation of carboxymethyl moiety (-CH2COOH) onto the starch backbone confers a suite of physicochemical properties that markedly enhance its efficacy as a drug carrier. The carboxymethyl groups, with a pKa of approximately 4.5, exhibit pronounced pH-responsiveness, undergoing a transition from a predominantly deprotonated, hydrophilic state at physiological pH (7.4) to a more protonated form in the acidic tumor microenvironment (pH 6.5–6.8) facilitating targeted drug release at neoplastic site. The mucoadhesive attributes ascribable to carboxyl-mucin interactions, prolong gastrointestinal residence time for oral formulations, optimizing drug absorption. Furthermore, these functional groups serve as reactive sites for subsequent modifications, facilitating the development of multifunctional, targeted drug delivery systems with enhanced biocompatibility and minimized off-target effects. The versatility and biocompatibility of CMS position it as a promising platform for next-generation anticancer therapeutics, offering potential for significant advancements in oncological treatment modalities.
期刊介绍:
Drug Development Research focuses on research topics related to the discovery and development of new therapeutic entities. The journal publishes original research articles on medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, toxicology, and drug delivery, formulation, and pharmacokinetics. The journal welcomes manuscripts on new compounds and technologies in all areas focused on human therapeutics, as well as global management, health care policy, and regulatory issues involving the drug discovery and development process. In addition to full-length articles, Drug Development Research publishes Brief Reports on important and timely new research findings, as well as in-depth review articles. The journal also features periodic special thematic issues devoted to specific compound classes, new technologies, and broad aspects of drug discovery and development.