Carbohydrate Polymer-Based Targeted Pharmaceutical Formulations for Colorectal Cancer: Systematic Review of the Literature

Colon cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer worldwide, followed by lung and breast 16 cancer. Conventional treatment methods are associated with numerous side effects and compliance 17 issues. Thus, colon targeted drug delivery has gained much attention due to its evident advantages. 18 Although many technologies have been explored, the use of pH-sensitive polymers, especially bio-19 degradable polymers, holds exceptional promise. This review aims to collate research articles con-20 cerning recent advances in this area. A systematic search using multiple databases (Google Scholar, 21 EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE and Scopus) was carried following the preferred reported items for 22 systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines with an aim to explore the use of pH 23 sensitive carbohydrate polymers in developing colon targeted pharmaceutical formulations. Fol-24 lowing screening and quality assessment for eligibility, 42 studies were included, exploring either a 25 single or combination of carbohydrate polymers to develop targeted formulations for colon cancer 26 therapy. Pectin (11) is being the most widely used of these biopolymers, followed by chitosan (09), 27 alginate (09) and guar gum (08). This systematic review has successfully gathered experimental ev-28 idence highlighting the importance of employing carbohydrate polymers in developing targeting 29 formulations to manage colon cancer.