Abstract

Nanostructured lipid carriers are lipid-based nanoparticles that consist of a solid-lipid matrix and a liquid lipid component, by enhancing drugs solubility and stability it improves bioavailability and efficacy. Nanostructured lipid carriers have the skill to act as carriers loaded with various drugs, including hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules and can be functionalized with targeting ligands or imaging agents for the purpose of targeted drug delivery and imaging. Ovarian cancer, which begins in the ovaries, is one of the most lethal forms of gynecological cancer, it also shows a very less survival rate in women due to its asymptomatic nature, late diagnosis and high recurrence rate. Different genetic variations and pathways such as tumor protein p53 mutation in high-grade serous tumors, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog mutation in mucinous tumors and clear cells are used to distinguish between various types of this disease. The term “Dual targeting” describes the therapeutic strategy in which two separate molecules or pathways are targeted at once to amplify the therapeutic effect, it can be useful in overcoming drug resistance as it concurrently targets two independent pathways and lowers the risk that cancer cells will develop resistance to individual therapies. This article reviews the uses of nanostructured lipid carriers used for the treatment of ovarian cancer.