Cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for tumor-targeted drug delivery

Nanoparticles can be enriched at tumor site and improve the therapeutic efficacy of many chemotherapy drugs with the well-known enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. While conventional preparations of materials for nanoscale drug delivery system mainly focused on chemical synthesis, recently the combination of synthetic carrier and natural biomimetic carrier has gained more and more attention. As a new generation of biomimetic nanoparticles, cell membrane-coated nanoparticles combine the complex biological functions of natural membranes and the physicochemical properties of synthetic nanomaterials for a more effective drug delivery. Herein, we briefly review the recent advances on cell membrane-coated nanoparticles for tumor-targeted drug delivery via the prolonging systemic circulation lifetime and the active targeting effect. Since the preferential accumulation of cell membrane-coated nanoparticles in tumor site, they are able to improve the therapeutic efficacy of conventional chemotherapy drugs in antitumor treatment as well as to reduce the systemic toxicity. We also introduce a systematic targeted strategy for the promising application of this platform on brain tumors.