Emerging potential of 5-Fluorouracil-loaded chitosan nanoparticles in cancer therapy

Cancer is among the leading causes of mortality in the globe. Chemotherapy utilizing various anticancer medicines continues to be the most widely used form of treatment. Antimetabolite 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) has been prescribed as a primary antineoplastic medication for the management of a variety of solid cancers, either alone or in combination with other chemotherapy regimens. Nevertheless, its effectiveness and use as a chemotherapeutic agent are reduced due to its highly variable bioavailability, exceedingly brief half-life (6-20 min), and the requirement for frequent dosing, resulting in unfavourable effects. The use of nanoparticles (NPs) as delivery systems for chemotherapy drugs to specifically target cancer cells has attracted a lot of interest recently. Because of their affordability, biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non-toxic makeup, chitosan NPs (CSNPs) in particular are regarded as an excellent colloidal drug delivery system. Furthermore, because of chitosan's pH-sensitive behaviour, which permits pH-responsive drug delivery inside the cancer microenvironment, CSNPs can be employed as smart carrier systems. This review delved into the effectiveness of 5-FU-loaded CSNPs against cancer and their role in overcoming the limitations of 5-FU.