Application of Nano Drug Delivery System (NDDS) in Cancer Therapy: A Perspective

Background: Cancer is the biggest killer that threatens human health. Poor bioavailability and strong drug resistance of cancer drugs are common defects. In recent years, drug delivery therapy based on nanotechnology has become a focused research area, and nano drug delivery system has been widely studied in cancer treatment. Objectives: Based on the articles and patents published on the application of nano drug delivery systems in cancer treatment in the past five years, this paper summarizes the types of nano drug delivery systems and their advantages and limitations in cancer treatment in order to provide a reference for future anticancer research on nano drug delivery systems. Methods: This perspective summarizes the types of nano drug delivery systems and their advantages and limitations in cancer treatment in recent five years, and proposes the development direction of nano drug delivery systems in the future. Results: Based on the review of articles and patents, we found that the nano drug delivery system is mainly divided into encapsulated nano drug delivery system and covalently bound nano-prodrug delivery system. Its advantages in cancer treatment are mainly reflected in enhancing drug stability, improving bioavailability, reducing toxicity and better application in cancer diagnosis. However, nano drug delivery system is a new field of science, some of these drug delivery systems might have high toxicity and low bioavailability; the off-target phenomenon often occurs, and most studies are just focused on the early stage, its mechanism of action, clinical efficacy and patient tolerance, and the toxicity of treatment remains to be further investigated. Conclusion: This perspective systematically summarizes the types of nano drug delivery systems and their advantages and limitations in cancer treatment based on the published articles and patents obtained in the last five years. Future research on nano drug delivery system should consider the potential risks, and stable and efficient nano drug delivery systems should be designed to treat cancer by changing or functionalizing the nanomaterial.