Abstract
Tumor metastasis involves multiple processes such as angiogenesis, invasion, cell adhesion, extravasation, cell growth etc. In order to develop the drug delivery systems aiming at overcoming tumor metastasis, it is necessary to evaluate the delivery systems employing appropriate experimental models which can mimic tumor metastasis in the body. The models are classified into two categories, i. e., in vitro and in vivo models in which, in general, cell culture systems and experimental animals are used, respectively. In vitro models are useful for the analysis of individual metastasis process at cellular level. On the other hand, overall metastasis can be assessed in in vivo models at whole body level. In this review, both in vitro and in vivo experimental metastasis models are reviewed. Finally, some approaches for preventing tumor metastasis using these experimental models are also discussed.
