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Breaking Barriers: Nucleic Acid Aptamers in Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Therapy

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Abstract

Conventional cancer therapies can have significant adverse effects as they are not targeted to cancer cells and may damage healthy cells. Single-stranded oligonucleotides assembled in a particular architecture, known as aptamers, enable them to attach selectively to target areas. Usually, they are created by Systematic Evolution of Ligand by Exponential enrichment (SELEX), and they go through a rigorous pharmacological revision process to change their therapeutic half-life, affinity, and specificity. They could thus offer a viable substitute for antibodies in the targeted cancer treatment market. Although aptamers can be a better choice in some situations, antibodies are still appropriate for many other uses. The technique of delivering aptamers is simple and reasonable, and the time needed to manufacture them is relatively brief. Aptamers do not require animals or an immune response to be produced, in contrast to antibodies. When used as a medication, aptamers can directly suppress tumor cells. As an alternative, they can be included in systems for targeted drug delivery that administer medications specifically to tumor cells while reducing toxicity to healthy cells. The most recent and cutting-edge methods for treating gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer with aptamers will be covered in this review, with a focus on targeted therapy as a means of conquering resistance to traditional medicines.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine and Health Sciences Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia

    Herlina Uinarni

  2. Radiology department of Pantai Indah Kapuk Hospital Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia

    Herlina Uinarni

  3. Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria

    Enwa Felix Oghenemaro

  4. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Sciences, JAIN (Deemed to be University), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

    Soumya V. Menon

  5. Department of Medical Laboratory, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-Kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia

    Ahmed Hjazi

  6. Assisstant professor, Community Health Nursing, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

    Fatma Magdi Ibrahim

  7. Lecturer, geriatric nursing, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

    Fatma Magdi Ibrahim

  8. Department of Sciences, Vivekananda Global University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 303012, India

    Mandeep Kaur

  9. Department of Obstetrics and gynecology, Samarkand State Medical University, Samarkand, Uzbekistan

    Askarova Zebo Zafarjonovna

  10. Uttaranchal Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India

    Mahamedha Deorari

  11. Department of applied sciences, University of technology, Baghdad, Iraq

    Majid S. Jabir

  12. Medical laboratory technique college, the Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq

    Ahmed Hussein Zwamel

  13. Medical laboratory technique college, the Islamic University of Al Diwaniyah, Al Diwaniyah, Iraq

    Ahmed Hussein Zwamel

  14. Medical laboratory technique college, the Islamic University of Babylon, Babylon, Iraq

    Ahmed Hussein Zwamel

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  1. Herlina Uinarni
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  2. Enwa Felix Oghenemaro
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Contributions

"E.F, S.V and A.H. wrote the main manuscript text and F.M, M.K and A.Z prepared figures 1 and Tables. M.D, M.S and A.H reviewed the final version. H.U. supervision. All authors reviewed the manuscript."

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Correspondence to Herlina Uinarni.

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Uinarni, H., Oghenemaro, E.F., Menon, S.V. et al. Breaking Barriers: Nucleic Acid Aptamers in Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Therapy. Cell Biochem Biophys (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12013-024-01367-w

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