Inorganic Materials-integrated Porphyrin for Drug Delivery in Cancer Therapy: Promises, Challenges and Outlooks

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Organic Chemistry

Background:

• Porphyrins are cyclic organic compounds with unique optical properties and biomolecule interactions.
• Their versatile structures make them suitable for advanced biomedical applications, especially drug delivery systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in porphyrin-based inorganic materials for drug delivery.
• To highlight their potential in enhancing therapeutic efficacy and minimizing side effects.
• To discuss challenges and strategies for clinical application.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of porphyrin-based materials into dendrimers, nanocarriers, and functionalized nanoparticles.
• Analysis of synthesis, drug loading, release profiles, and biocompatibility.
• Review of targeted drug delivery and photodynamic therapy (PDT) applications.

Main Results:

• Porphyrin-functionalized nanoparticles demonstrate selective cancer cell targeting.
• Porphyrin-based drug delivery systems combined with PDT can improve anticancer efficacy and reduce systemic toxicity.
• Strategies for improving porphyrin solubility and stability are discussed.

Conclusions:

• Porphyrin-based materials offer significant potential for targeted drug delivery and cancer therapy.
• Overcoming challenges like stability and phototoxicity is crucial for clinical translation.
• Encapsulation and hybrid systems show promise in addressing current limitations.