ABSTRACT
In this way, the combined use of inorganic substances (e.g., iron) and/or organic materials (e.g., ethylcellulose) could offer important possibilities in the formulation of drug delivery systems. In this way, the development of inorganic/organic (core/ shell) nanocomposites (i.e., iron/ethylcellulose nanoparticles) has been described as a cancer targeting approach that could lead to optimum chemotherapy. It is expected that the magnetic (inorganic: iron) core within such composite nanoparticles will be responsible for the magnetic responsive behavior of the nanocarrier, while the organic (organic/polymeric: ethylcellulose) shell will allow the vehiculización of appropriate amounts of antitumor drugs within the nanoplatform. As a result, the whole drug dose will be concentrated within tumor interstitium with the help of a magnetic gradient. This chapter is focused on the analysis of the current state of the art in the use of iron-, ethylcellulose-, and iron/ethylcellulose nanostructures to develop nanodrugs against cancer.
