Extracellular Vesicles as Emerging Drug Delivery Platforms in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biotechnology
• Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

• Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive malignancy with limited targeted therapy options.
• Current chemotherapy for TNBC faces challenges with poor targeting and significant toxicity.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as a novel platform for targeted drug delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicle (EV)-based drug delivery systems for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).
• To evaluate the efficacy of various therapeutic cargos delivered by EVs in preclinical TNBC models.
• To identify challenges and opportunities for the clinical translation of EV-based therapies for TNBC.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of 17 studies published between 2020 and 2024.
• Searches conducted in Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases.
• Analysis of studies reporting in vitro and in vivo efficacy of EV-based therapies for TNBC.

Main Results:

• EVs can effectively deliver diverse therapeutic cargos, including chemotherapeutic agents and nucleic acids, to TNBC cells.
• Preclinical studies demonstrate significant in vitro and in vivo efficacy of EV-based therapies against TNBC.
• Engineering strategies enhance EV targeting specificity, showing promising results in preclinical models.

Conclusions:

• EV-based drug delivery systems hold substantial therapeutic potential for treating triple-negative breast cancer.
• Standardization of EV isolation and characterization protocols is crucial for clinical translation.
• Despite challenges in clinical translation, EVs offer a promising avenue for developing more effective TNBC treatments.