Focal Treatment in Prostate Cancer With Anti-PSMA Labelled Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles

Abstract Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy in men in Europe and the United States. Although androgen-dependent and castration-resistant PCa is usually sensitive to docetaxel (DTX) chemotherapy, its poor water solubility and high systemic toxicity limit the dose and duration of therapy. In an effort to overcome DTX pharmacological issues, numerous drug delivery systems (DDSs) have been synthesized, which are able to release the cargo in the target cells or tissues, introducing significant improvement in the clinical use of this drug. In this context, silica nanoparticles (SNPs) have shown strong potential use as vehicles for delivery of DTX, but with limited selectivity to targeting malignant cells. For this reason, we have divided this chapter into two sections: first, we aim to summarize the most recent achievements in the design and development of DDSs for DTX delivery based on SNPs. Subsequently, we introduce a novel DDS based on mesoporous SNPs functionalized with an anti-PSMA antibody (prostate-specific membrane antigen) for targeted delivery to PSMA-containing PCa cells. These therapeutic systems are intended to replace current chemotherapy methods on nonmetastatic PCa, mostly through intraprostatic administration.