Targeting the Blood-Brain Tumor Barrier with Tumor Necrosis Factor-α.

ABSTRACT: The blood-brain tumor barrier represents a major obstacle for anticancer drug delivery to brain tumors. Thus, novel strategies aimed at targeting and breaching this structure are of great experimental and clinical interest. This review is primarily focused on the development and use of a derivative of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF) that can target and alter the blood-brain-tumor-barrier. This drug, called NGR-TNF, consists of a TNF molecule fused to the Cys-Asn-Gly-Arg-Cys-Gly (CNGRCG) peptide (called NGR), a ligand of aminopeptidase N (CD13)-positive tumor blood vessels. Results of preclinical studies suggest that this peptide-cytokine fusion product represents a valuable strategy for delivering TNF to tumor vessels in an amount sufficient to break the biological barriers that restrict dru

SUBMITTER: Corti A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9315592 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature