Nanotechnology for glioblastoma combat: a systematic review

Introduction: Glioblastoma is the most common malignant cancer of the central nervous system and has a gloomy prognosis. Usually, the median overall survival is 15 months with treatments, such as surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy with temozolomide. However, the main reasons for the lack of improvement in patient survival are the low drug delivery at the tumor site and inadequate tumor sensitivity. In this regard, nanoparticles are being considered as a novel approach. They are small (1-100 nm), but have a large surface area, which increases the solubility and bioavailability of drugs by favoring diffusion through the blood-brain barrier, enhancing the solubility of hydrophobic drugs and ensuring a homogeneous distribution in the tumor. Objective: To evaluate whether nanotechnology could improve the prognosis of specimens and patients with glioblastoma. Method: Integrative review of the literature according to the PRISMA protocol, focusing on articles published in the last 10 years. Result: Twenty-seven pre-clinical articles were included. Discussion: Iron and ferritin nanoparticles, iron oxide nanoparticles, superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, magnetite nanoparticles, and others were found. Nanoparticles have demonstrated their importance in addressing the tumor microenvironment and facilitating drug penetration at efficient concentrations through the blood-brain barrier. Plasmonic gold nanostar-mediated photothermal immunotherapy and the lactic-co-glycolic acid have shown to be promising therapies for the glioblastoma. Conclusion: The identification of the most effective drug and the optimal functionalization of nanotechnology is still a challenge. Studies with greater statistical significance are needed for future clinical trials.