Introduction Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and detrimental primary brain tumor. It represents 57% of gliomas and 48% of all primary malignant tumors of the central nervous system. Its incidence in the United States is 3.21 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, it increases with age, it is 1.58 times more common in men, 1.93 times more common in Caucasians, and only 5.6% of patients survived 5 years after diagnosis [1]. In Mexico, available statistical data indicate that gliomas represent 33% of all brain tumors and the average age of GBM diagnosis is 46.4 years. However, this percentage belongs specifically to the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, which may not be representative of the incidence in the Mexican population throughout the country [2]. In general, the survival prognosis is less than two years. Standard treatment is multimodal. It includes maximal resection surgery, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments using temozolomide (TZM), which when administered to GBM cells causes double-stranded breaks in DNA, cell cycle arrest, and eventual cell death. However, TMZ attacks DNA indiscriminately, also causing damage to the patient's hematopoietic stem cells. Due to the ineffectiveness in completely eliminating the tumor and the high recurrence rate, there is a need to search for better treatment options, one of them being the targeted administration of drugs [3], [4].
Biological factors such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the immune microenvironment of the tumor make it difficult to develop new therapies [3]. The BBB maintains the homeostatic balance of the brain, acting as a protective layer that prevents the direct contact of pathogens present in the bloodstream with the cerebral fluid. Unfortunately, BBB limits therapeutic efficacy and this is why it represents one of the most formidable obstacles in the development of new drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors [5]. In 1955, Jatzkewitz reported the preparation of the first polymer-drug conjugate, polyvinylpyrrolidone-mescaline, which is considered the first therapeutic nanoparticle. In the 1960s, the use of liposomes was discovered as the first nanotechnology based on a drug delivery system [6]. In the late 1960s, Professor Peter Paul Speiser and his research group developed the first nanoparticles for drug and vaccine delivery [7].
In recent years, the use of nanoparticles in drug delive...
Biological factors such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the immune microenvironment of the tumor make it difficult to develop new therapies [3]. The BBB maintains the homeostatic balance of the brain, acting as a protective layer that prevents the direct contact of pathogens present in the bloodstream with the cerebral fluid. Unfortunately, BBB limits therapeutic efficacy and this is why it represents one of the most formidable obstacles in the development of new drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and brain tumors [5]. In 1955, Jatzkewitz reported the preparation of the first polymer-drug conjugate, polyvinylpyrrolidone-mescaline, which is considered the first therapeutic nanoparticle. In the 1960s, the use of liposomes was discovered as the first nanotechnology based on a drug delivery system [6]. In the late 1960s, Professor Peter Paul Speiser and his research group developed the first nanoparticles for drug and vaccine delivery [7].
In recent years, the use of nanoparticles in drug delive...