ST. PETERSBURG, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Russian scientists have developed nanoparticles to protect anticancer drugs from being destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract, potentially enabling an effective oral treatment in tablet form for aggressive melanoma, local media reported Wednesday.
The nanoparticles are based on gelatin and chitosan, TASS news agency reported, citing the press service with Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University.
The newly created nano-formulations allow the drug to reach the intestines intact and be absorbed efficiently, offering a promising alternative to current melanoma therapies that typically require intravenous administration, said the press service.
In experiments on mice with solid melanoma, oral administration of the compound using the new formulations suppressed tumor growth by 88 to 95 percent compared with the control group, said Sergei Shipilovskikh, a leading researcher at the university's Laboratory of Nano- and Microencapsulation of Biologically Active Substances.
He added that in a metastatic melanoma model affecting the lungs, the nanoform of the drug reduced metastasis formation by 82 percent.
Using specialized tracking methods, the scientists confirmed that the nanoparticles were not destroyed in the stomach and successfully reached the intestines, staying long enough to deliver the drug to targeted areas, according to the university's press service.
Tests on internal organs and blood samples of laboratory animals revealed no serious side effects, confirming the safety of the new treatment, it said.
The press service added that the developed strategy opens new prospects for creating effective and safe oral medicines for targeted cancer therapy. ■
