Protein-based nanocarriers for paclitaxel (PTX) delivery in cancer treatment: A review

Paclitaxel (PTX) is recognized as one of the most potent chemotherapy agents and is widely used to treat various cancers, including ovarian, lung, breast, head, and neck cancer. Due to the limited solubility and high toxicity of PTX, its use in cancer treatment is challenging and limited. Hence, strategies have been devised to improve the solubility and bioavailability of paclitaxel. In recent years, biocompatible nanocarriers have garnered attention due to their desirable properties, including increased permeability, targeted delivery, extended circulatory half-life, and biological drug delivery for the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs. Protein nanostructures have been widely studied for the delivery of paclitaxel due to their significant advantages, such as safety, low toxicity, availability, and relatively easy preparation. This review article reviews recent advances in the development of protein-based drug delivery systems for loading and releasing paclitaxel. These nanocarriers have great potential to improve paclitaxel's antitumor properties and efficacy. Therefore, in the future, the integration of the pharmaceutical industry and artificial intelligence techniques will provide more opportunities for research and development in the pharmaceutical field.