Nanocarrier Strategies for Boron Drug Delivery in BNCT
Abstract
Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is a radiotherapeutic modality that enables tumor-targeted cell killing. The nuclear capture reaction between boron-10 (10B) and low-energy thermal neutrons produces high linear energy transfer (LET) particles (α-particles and recoiling lithium nuclei), each of which have short path lengths within the diameter of a single mammalian cell. The deposited energy creates clustered DNA double-strand breaks that are cytotoxic in these tumor cells while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues. This advantage makes BNCT a highly attractive treatment modality compared to conventional radiotherapy. Nevertheless, despite its theoretical precision, the clinical translation of BNCT remains constrained by suboptimal tumor-selective boron delivery; insufficient intracellular accumulation; and heterogeneous biodistribution profiles associated with conventional small-molecule-based boron agents, such as boronophenylalanine (BPA) and sodium borocaptate (BSH). While the development of new accelerator-based neutron sources (ABNSs) has renewed interest in BNCT, effective 10B delivery remains a major challenge. To address this, nanomedicine has been steadily on the rise in cancer research. In recent years, nanocarrier-based delivery systems have emerged as a transformative alternative delivery strategy. Nanodrugs offer several advantages over conventional small-molecule drugs, such as improved solubility, increased plasma half-life, enhanced permeability and…
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