الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Cancer is one of the major causes of death all over the world. Cancer is uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells, associated with dysregulation of apoptosis, a programmed cell death. Traditional methods of cancer therapy inflict a series of side effects. Recent years have witnessed many efforts in creating alternative cancer therapy methods that would be less invasive and would exhibit a site-specific activity.Nanoparticles, with their selective targeting capabilities and superior efficacy, are becoming increasingly important in modern cancer therapy and starting to overshadow traditional cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. ZnO nanoparticles, with their unique properties such as biocompatibility, high selectivity, enhanced cytotoxicity and easy synthesis, may be a promising anticancer agent.Oxidative stress through reactive oxygen species and induction of apoptosis may be the probable mechanism of this cytotoxic effect. The selective localization of ZnO nanoparticles towards cancer cells due to enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect and electrostatic interaction and selective cytotoxicity due to increased ROS show that ZnO nanoparticles can selectively target and kill cancer cells. |