Scientists develop nanoparticles that can destroy breast cancer metastases inside and outside the nervous system

American biochemists have developed nanoparticles that can penetrate the barrier between the blood circulation and the brain and destroy breast cancer metastases inside and outside the nervous system.

The press service of the University of Miami School of Medicine said: “The nanoparticles developed by scientists are models made of biodegradable polymers and filled with two anti-cancer drugs that attack two different chains in cancer cells. These nanostructures simultaneously allow the destruction of both the primary tumor in the mammary glands in women.” And possible metastases that have penetrated their brain tissue.”

These particles were developed by a group of American biochemists led by Assistant Professor at Miami State University Shanta Dhar. They are spherical structures composed of two biopolymers, a mixture of lactic-glycolic acid (PLGA) and polyethylene glycol with an organophosphate.

Scientists were able to choose the size and structure of these particles that would allow them to penetrate the barrier between the brain and the bloodstream, which is usually impenetrable to most large molecules. This property allows nanoparticles to be used to deliver drugs to brain tissue in a targeted manner, which is what researchers used to prepare a “dual” treatment for breast cancer that attacks stage I and II tumors simultaneously.

In order to achieve this, the scientists filled the particles they made with a modified form of cisplatin, which is a common anti-cancer drug, in addition to Mito-DCA, which hinders the work of mitochondria, as major cellular energy plants. The researchers tested the work of these nanoparticles in experiments on mice. The researchers inserted cultures of cancer cells into her brains and body tissues.

Subsequent monitoring and follow-up showed that the injection of nanoparticles led to a decrease in the size of tumors in the brain and other body tissues in 80% of the rodents, and it also led to an extension of the life of the rodents for a period of several weeks compared to animals in the control group. According to scientists, this raises hope that nanoparticles will be equally effective in influencing metastases in the brains of volunteers with breast cancer.