Advancements in Nanostructured Smart Drug Delivery Systems in Cancer Treatment: Targeted Modification Strategies and Clinical Implications

Abstract: Although chemotherapy is frequently used against cancer, it has notable limitations. Patients often experience side effects which require them to limit their dosage or discontinue treatment altogether. One such issue is the accumulation of chemotherapy in healthy organs. Another is the lack of specificity by cancer cells, which leads to the use of non-targeted molecules. On the other hand, cancer cells may develop resistance mechanisms that prevent the treatment from working. To get over these restrictions and tackle therapeutic issues, smart drug delivery systems were created. One potential medication delivery platform for targeted cancer treatment is smart nanoparticles, which may either react to or be guided by biological signals. Furthermore, these strategies can be directed by surface molecules that bind to certain receptors on cancer cell membranes or to the tumour microenvironment, resulting in a strong affinity. Recent progress in cancer therapy medication delivery methods is summarised in this brief review. These methods include several smart nanocarriers that respond to single or multifunctional stimuli. Nanoparticles made of polymeric materials, micelles, dendrimers, protein, cell membrane, liposomes, quantum dots, mesoporous silica, carbon, black phosphorus, iron oxide, quantum dots, and MOF are just a few examples of the smart materials that have recently been developed. Additionally, we shared a brief overview of the many medication delivery modalities available for cancer therapy, including peptides, nucleic acids, small molecules, proteins, and even live cells. We covered the advantages and disadvantages of smart nanoparticles as well as their potential applications in medicine.