Chemoprevention strategies for breast cancer: study of nanocarriers containing fenretinide for use in topical-transdermal therapy

• Grant number: 24/03868-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• End date: February 29, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Pharmacy - Pharmaceutical Technology
• Principal Investigator: Luciana Biagini Lopes
• Grantee: Jessica Ribeiro Nunes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/13877-1 - Nanocarriers for localized treatment and chemoprevention of breast tumors, AP.JP2

Abstract

Even though it is considering the most incident type of cancer among women, there are limited pharmacological options to reverse or restrain the disease and its recurrence. However, their acceptance among patients is low because of the adverse effects. This scenario highlights the need to develop new pharmacological and well accepted approaches that can be applied for prevention of breast cancer. Because sufficient amounts of the drug are needed only in the breast tissue for the preventive effect, we propose in this project the local administration of fenretinide to the breast tissue as a new topical-transdermal strategy for breast cancer pharmacological prevention, combining efficacy, safety, and patient comfort. Because of the high lipophilicity of fenretinide, which impairs its penetration into and through the skin, we propose to incorporate it into two appealing colloidal systems: nanoemulsion (NE) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). In this study, we propose to evaluate and compare their effects on the skin penetration and on breast cancer cells in monolayers, in more complex 3D in vitro models, and in an in vivo model of chemically induced carcinogenesis. With this project, we aim at contributing to the development of a rational and competitive topical formulation for breast cancer local pharmacological prevention.