Natural low- and high-density lipoproteins as mighty bio-nanocarriers for anticancer drug delivery.

Abstract

Lipoproteins (LPs) are a set of naturally occurring bio-nanoparticles consisting of Apo-LPs, phospholipids, a highly hydrophobic core of cholesteryl esters and triglycerides that participate mainly in the targeted transport of cholesteryl esters and other hydrophobic molecules through the bloodstream. They also are able to recognize specific receptors on normal and abnormal cells. Therefore, LPs represent a relevant tool for targeted delivery of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics due to their native biocompatibility, biodegradability, nano-scale size and receptor-mediated uptake. The circulating LPs are categorized into five classes, each with its own characteristic protein and lipid composition. Low-density LPs (LDL) and high-density LPs (HDL) are two major subclasses of LPs which were extensively subjected to attractive and versatile vehicles for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs. This study focus to highlight the potential applications of LDL and HDL bio-nanocarriers in the field of specific target drug delivery to cancer cells.