Cell- and biological-based drug delivery vectors for cancer treatment

Abstract

The introduction of cell- and biological-based (CBb) vectors for drug delivery has paved new pathways in cancer therapy, capitalizing on the distinct properties inherent to various microbial systems. In this review, we take a critical look at a range of promising drug delivery platforms, including polymeric micelles, bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), liposomes, fungi, yeast, bacteria, red blood cells stem cells, virus and microalgae. Our focus is on evaluating their efficacy, targeting capabilities, and biocompatibility. Key findings suggest that Daptomycin-Doxorubicin (Dap-DOX) micelles enhance cytotoxicity and selectively accumulate in tumors through the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Likewise, bacterial-derived magnetosomes appear to offer significant tumor suppression and show reduced cardiac toxicity compared to traditional doxorubicin (DOX) treatments. Additionally, RBC-based systems have demonstrated effective targeting and delivery of DOX to cancer sites, surpassing the performance of free drug formulations. The discussed works mainly focused on the use of DOX, however we also reviewed papers where other chemotherapeutic agents have been used. Among the reviewed platforms, microalgae stand out as particularly promising due to their biocompatibility, poor ability to multiply inside human body, and ability to boost drug loading efficiency, facilitating targeted delivery. Evidence points to microalgae’s potential to enhance the therapeutic index of anticancer drugs, as exemplified by the quick drug release behavior of cell vesicles loaded with doxorubicin in acidic tumor microenvironments. Despite these promising developments, challenges persist, especially in the optimization of microbial engineering and the scalability required for clinical applications. We suggest that microalgae offer a compelling platform for future research and development in cancer drug delivery, highlighting the need for further exploration to unlock their full potential in oncological therapies.