Alginate in Cancer Therapy

Abstract

According to WHO World Health Organization, Cancer https://www. who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer (2020), cancer is the major cause of death worldwide, with more than 10 million fatalities. The most prevalent malignancies are breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate. There are many drugs that have been used to treat various forms of cancer. However, practically all medications are cytotoxic, meaning they can harm healthy cells with cancerous cells, resulting in significant non-specific toxicity. For cancer treatment, it is necessary to deliver the anti-neoplastic drug in optimal concentration in tumor cells. Alginate, chitosan, gelatin, and hyaluronic acid are biodegradable polymers frequently used to deliver anticancer treatments to improve efficacy while minimizing side effects. According to the current research, alginate is a biocompatible, non-toxic, and relatively costeffective natural polysaccharide with physicochemical properties that make it acceptable for cancer medicine delivery vehicles. Alginate-based drug delivery systems can be used with passive and active targeted techniques to administer anticancer drugs. In addition, the function of alginate in 3-D scaffolds for the cellculture techniques, including cytotoxicity and internalization studies were discussed. Theranostic applications of alginate-based nanomedicine were also investigated in order to examine cancer diagnostics and therapy. This chapter compiles with the roles of alginate and its drug-delivery systems and their significance in cancer research and treatment. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.