Nanoencapsulation and synthetic routes for the preparation of drugs used as chemical treatments against colorectal cancer: an overview

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a cancer of uncontrolled cell growth in the colon. In Colombia, CRC according to "New global cancer data: GLOBOCAN 2018" ranks fifth with an incidence of 5.6% and a mortality of 7.4%, and in the department of Caldas - Colombia it has an incidence of 16%. This paper presents a narrative review of the literature on synthetic routes and nanoencapsulation, based on the most widely used chemical treatments against CRC, based on selected documents using the keywords: nanoencapsulation + colorectal cancer, synthetic pathways + colorectal cancer, drug + chemotherapy + colorectal cancer and using Scopus and Web of Science. Three drugs were selected whose synthetic routes present fewer stages, with better yields and use of commercially available reagents, of low cost and that do not pollute the environment. This is how the synthesis of 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin is described, using chemical products and the synthesis of irinotecan from semi-synthetic products derived from a natural product. Reports were found on nanoencapsulation, which allows the production of nanovehicles with better clinical results, such as polymeric noparticlesontaining 5-fluorouracil, solid lipid nanoparticles encapsulating oxaliplatin, and liposomes encapsulating irinotecan. Finally, it has been reported that the polymeric nanoencapsulation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induces a pronounced reduction in tumor volume; additionally, the use of solid lipid nanoparticles loaded with oxaliplatin decreases its cytotoxicity; and, in addition, irinotecan in its liposomal form decreases tumor growth.