New Nanotech Makes Hydrogen Cancer Therapy More Targeted and Effective
- Authors
- Yingshuai Wang, Tian Yang, Qianjun He
- Journal
- National Science Review
- Year
- 2020
- DOI
- 10.1093/nsr/nwaa034
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Cancer
- Body System
- Oncological
TL;DR
Scientists are developing tiny medicine particles that can deliver special gases directly to cancer tumors to kill them better and cause fewer side effects. The key is getting these gases to the right place at the right time, and combining them with other cancer treatments makes them work even better.
Key Finding
Advanced nanoparticle-based systems designed to deliver therapeutic gases like hydrogen to tumors in a controlled, targeted manner represent a promising strategy for improving cancer treatment efficacy and reducing side effects.
Summary
This review article examines how scientists are designing tiny particles (nanomedicines) to deliver therapeutic gases—including hydrogen—directly to cancer tumors. The article summarizes engineering strategies that allow these particles to release gases in a controlled way, target tumors specifically, and combine gas therapy with other cancer treatments. The authors argue this approach could improve cancer treatment effectiveness while reducing side effects.
Practical Takeaway
This is a review article summarizing research directions rather than reporting new experimental results, and it does not include human trials or clinical data. While it highlights hydrogen as one of several therapeutic gases being explored in nanoparticle delivery systems for cancer, the practical applications for hydrogen water consumers remain unclear—this work focuses on specialized medical nanoparticles, not the hydrogen water products available to consumers.
Abstract
As an emerging and promising treatment method, gas therapy has attracted more and more attention for treatment of inflammation-related diseases, especially cancer. However, therapeutic/therapy-assisted gases (NO, CO, H2S, H2, O2, SO2 and CO2) and most of their prodrugs lack the abilities of active intratumoral accumulation and controlled gas release, resulting in limited cancer therapy efficacy and potential side effects. Therefore, development of nanomedicines to realize tumor-targeted and controlled release of therapeutic/therapy-assisted gases is greatly desired, and also the combination of other therapeutic modes with gas therapy by multifunctional nanocarrier platforms can augment cancer therapy efficacy and also reduce their side effects. The design of nanomedicines with these functions is vitally important, but challenging. In this review, we summarize a series of engineering strategies for construction of advanced gas-releasing nanomedicines from four aspects: (1) stimuli-responsive strategies for controlled gas release; (2) catalytic strategies for controlled gas release; (3) tumor-targeted gas delivery strategies; (4) multi-model combination strategies based on gas therapy. Moreover, we highlight current issues and gaps in knowledge, and envisage current trends and future prospects of advanced nanomedicines for gas therapy of cancer. This review aims to inspire and guide the engineering of advanced gas-releasing nanomedicines.