Tumor Vasculature, EPR Effect, and Anticancer Nanomedicine: Connecting the Dots

摘要: The progression of a tumor cell mass beyond 2 mm is critically dependent on neoangiogenesis. Angiogenic factors secreted by cells, infiltrating macrophages, and stromal cells aggressively promote proliferation migration endothelial cells. nascent primitive vasculatures are usually morphologically functionally abnormal due to several features such as the lack vascular smooth muscle layer, abrupt change blood vessel diameter, tortuosity, leakiness. Those characteristics which alter flow transport molecules in tumors led discovery enhanced permeability retention (EPR) nanosize tissues. Following its discovery, various anticancer nanoconstructs have been developed with EPR effect central mechanism for targeting. However, development these nanodrugs has hampered slow progress towards clinic. Only nine nanomedicines approved treatment last 26 years. In this chapter, we discuss aspects that may explain limited transition an efficient nanomedicine. specificity vasculature, discrepancy biology, role animal models, physicochemical closely examined. This chapter provides new considerations successful EPR-based