Today, many research groups are trying to develop new ways to treat cancer or improve the effectiveness of existing treatment strategies. To do this, it is important to understand the differences between tumor tissue and healthy tissue. One of these differences involves the pH in the cancer environment. In normal cells, the intracellular pH is generally around 7.2 and therefore lower than the extracellular pH of 7.4. However, tumor tissue presents a reversed pH gradient: the intracellular pH is increased (>7.4) and the extracellular pH is lower than normal (6.7-7.1). This gradient is maintained thanks to changes in the expression and activity of some particular ion pumps and plasma membrane transporters that facilitate the efflux of H+. Due to the increase in intracellular pH, cell proliferation and evasion of apoptosis are possible, and metabolic adaptation is facilitated. Furthermore, a higher intracellular pH is even mandatory for efficient directed cell migration. The decrease in extracellular pH also offers some advantages for tumor development: HCO3-dependent buffering is limited, extracellular matrix remodeling is promoted, and acid-activated proteases that facilitate the invasion and spread of tumor cells are stimulated ( Webb et al 2011). The difference between tumor tissue and normal tissue is the concentration of glutathione. Glutathione (GSH) is made up of three amino acids: cysteine, glycine, and glutamate (see Figure 1.1). It is a very important antioxidant and is present in practically every cell of the human body. The concentration of GSH is much higher intracellularly (0.5-10 mM) than in the extracellular environment (2-20 µM), and in tumor tissue the concentration of GSH is at least 4 times higher than in normal tissue (F. .. ... half of the article ...... degree of intermolecular association By changing the formulation or chemical parts of the drug delivery system, it is possible to control the time and place of drug release (You ea 2010) The term nanocarrier encompasses a wide range of different nanosized drug delivery systems. The oldest and most clinically established nanocarriers are liposomes, spheres composed of an aqueous core surrounded by one or more concentric lipid bilayers. encapsulation of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, respectively in the aqueous core and within the lipid membrane (Hafner et al 2014) therefore increase the solubility of hydrophobic compounds, allow the entrapment of high-potency drug molecules, reduce systemic side effects and toxicity and attenuate drug clearance (Riehemann ea. 2009)
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