Abstract

Introduction: Cervical cancer is one of the most common gyneocological malignancies among women. E6 and E7 oncoproteins of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) are the main reasons of cervical cancer, other factors include increased level of estrogen, smoking, unprotected sex, and multiparity etc. Nanotechnology appears to be a remarkable alternative to cervix cancer treatment provided that nanoparticles exhibit unique features like size and chemical properties. Nano-technological approaches have been shown to be advantageous over conventional techniques both for screening and treatment of cervical cancer due to their specificity towards the target. Over the past few years, quantum dots, gold nanoparticles/ nanowires, magnetic nanoparticles and the biodegradable nanoparticles have been developed which can be usedw as biomarkers for cancer detection. Nanoparticles have been proven both in vitro and in vivo for the reduction of cervical cancer either by induction of apoptosis or cell cycle arrest and by directly controlling the gene expression of HPV.

Conclusion: The present review gives a brief account of nanostrategies for screening and treatment of cervical cancer.

Keywords: Cervix cancer, nanoparticles, drug delivery, vaccines, HPV, HIV.

Graphical Abstract