Molecular therapy using siRNA: Recent trends and advances of multi target inhibition of cancer growth

RNA interference (RNAi) therapy, harnessed to produce a new class of drugs for treatment, has drawn attention and seen steady progress over the years. Molecular therapy using biological macromolecules small interfering RNA (siRNA) for gene silencing has received significant attention to target cancer-related genes. Basically, siRNA molecules bind to messenger RNAs (mRNA) by complementary base pairing, to induce degradation of the mRNA and/or block protein synthesis. Numerous genes and gene related proteins have been reported till date to target in siRNA based cancer therapy. Furthermore, a combination of siRNA with traditional anticancer drugs produces synergistic anticancer effect, or overcomes drug resistance, enhances targeting abilities and minimizes side-effects. Current review highlights various functional properties of genes that can be selectively knocked down by siRNAs. In addition, we have also discussed the interaction of siRNA-mediated gene-silencing with chemotherapeutic agents in nanoformulation which constitutes a valuable and safe approach for cancer treatment.