Recent advances in nanoformulation-based delivery for cancer immunotherapy

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Pharmacology
• Oncology

Background:

• Cancer remains a leading global cause of mortality, presenting significant treatment challenges.
• Phytoconstituents from medicinal plants are being explored for novel therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the cellular and molecular mechanisms of plant-mediated nanoformulations in cancer therapy.
• To explore the therapeutic prospects of these novel nanocarriers for cancer immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of plant-derived nanoparticles targeting cancer.
• Analysis of mechanisms including PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway modulation, reactive oxygen species generation, and apoptosis induction.
• Evaluation of efficacy against various cancer cell lines (e.g., HT-29, MCF-7, HepG2, HeLa).

Main Results:

• Plant-mediated nanoformulations demonstrate selective targeting of diverse cancer cell lines.
• Mechanisms involve PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibition, β-catenin inhibition, DNA damage, and apoptosis induction (caspase 3/9, p53).

Conclusions:

• Plant-derived nanoformulations show significant potential as targeted cancer therapeutics.
• These nanocarriers could lead to a paradigm shift in cancer immunotherapy through selective cell killing.