Advances in nano-drug delivery systems for metallic compounds in cancer therapy: challenges and future perspectives

Abstract

Metallic compounds have shown great promise as anticancer treatments because of their varied mechanisms of action, decreased side effects, and ability to overcome drug resistance. The search for alternative metal-based therapies has been driven by the severe toxicity, drug resistance, and poor selectivity of platinum-based complexes like cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, despite their notable clinical effectiveness. Their clinical translation is made difficult by issues such as off-target toxicity, low absorption, and poor solubility. These findings highlight the potential of nanomedicine to enhance therapeutic efficacy and patient compliance. Similarly, a range of nanocarriers have been investigated for the precise and targeted administration of metallic medications, including polymeric NPs, inorganic materials, and lipid-based, peptide-based, and carbon-based systems. These nanocarriers offer several advantages such as enhanced solubility, stability, cellular uptake and biocompatibility while reducing systemic toxicity and ensuring controlled and precise drug release of the metal complexes. This review article emphasizes on the impact of nanomaterials on the delivery of metallic anticancer drugs across various types of cancer. It discusses the key nanocarriers employed for targeted delivery of metal complexes, their effects on malignant cells, existing challenges, and future opportunities for optimizing metallic cancer therapies. Finally, we propose strategies to enhance the efficacy and safety of these nano-based metallic therapies.