Polymers in the Co-delivery of siRNA and Anticancer Drugs for the Treatment of Drug-resistant Cancers

Abstract

Recently, co-delivery of siRNA and anticancer drugs has drawn much attention in the treatment of drug-resistant cancers. Drug resistance is exhibited by cancer cells, which limits the efficacy of chemotherapy. When siRNA and anticancer drugs are delivered into cancer cells simultaneously, the siRNA is expected to silence the genes related to drug resistance, decreasing the drug efflux pumps and activating the cell’s apoptosis pathways. In a timeframe following the release of siRNA, the accumulation of the co-delivered anti-cancer drug inside of the cancer cells will increase, resulting in promoted chemotherapeutic effects. Several classes of nanocarriers have been designed based on polymers for co-delivery, including surface-modified polymer nanoparticles (NPs), polymer micelles, dendrimers, polymer nanocapsules, polymer-modified liposomes, and polymer-modified silica and gold NPs. Compared with separate delivery, co-delivery showed significant advantages in the treatment of drug-resistant cancers. This review focuses on polymers in the co-delivery of siRNA and anticancer drugs, and summarizes key advances in the recent several years.