Combination of chemopreventive agents in nanoparticles for cancer prevention.

Carcinogenesis involves multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations, and a single chemopreventive agent may not be sufficient to prevent these events. Therefore, the use of a combination of agents is an attractive approach for cancer chemoprevention. In this issue of the journal, Prabhu and colleagues examined a combination of aspirin, curcumin, and sulforaphane for the prevention of pancreatic cancer in hamsters (beginning page 1015). The novelty of this work is that when aspirin and curcumin were incorporated in nanoparticles and administered orally, in combination with sulforaphane, the effective dosages were decreased by 10-fold in comparison with the free form mixture. In this commentary, the possible mechanisms of synergistic action among multiple chemopreventive agents and the use of stable nanoparticles for oral delivery are discussed. Also discussed is the importance of measuring tissue levels of the chemopreventive agents to understand the mode of action of these nanoparticles and to avoid toxicity.