Exploration of sialic acid receptors as a potential target for cancer treatment: A comprehensive review

The potential to target anticancer drugs directly to cancer cells is the most difficult challenge in the current scenario. Progressive works are being done on multifarious receptors and are on the horizon, expected to facilitate tailored treatment for cancer. Among several receptors, one is the sialic acid (SA) receptor by which cancer cells can be targeted directly as hyper sialylation is one of the most distinguishing characteristics of cancer cells. SA receptors have shown tremendous potential for tumor targeting because of their elevated expression in a range of human malignancies including prostate, breast, gastric cells, myeloid leukemia, liver, etc. This article reviews the overexpression of SA receptors in various tumors and diverse strategies for targeting these receptors to deliver drugs, enzymes, and genes for therapeutic applications. It also summarizes the diagnostic applications of SA-grafted nanoparticles for imaging various SA-overexpressing cancer cells and technological advances that are propelling sialic acid to the forefront of cancer therapy.