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Renaissance of Traditional Mineral Drugs in Cancer: Advanced Delivery Strategies and Bioengineering Approaches
Aolin Chen1, Ping Luo1, Jing Cao1
1Cancer Research Center, The Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Rehabilitation of Cancer in Chinese Medicine, Jiangxi University of Chinese Medicine, Nanchang 330004, China.
Pharmaceutics
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Mineral drugs offer potent anticancer effects via cell death and immune pathways. Advanced formulations improve delivery, enhancing efficacy and reducing toxicity for new cancer therapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Traditional mineral drugs are a rich source of antitumor agents.
- Clinical use is limited by poor bioavailability, biodistribution, and toxicity.
- Recent advances are reviving interest in mineral-based cancer therapeutics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the pharmacological mechanisms of mineral drugs in oncology.
- To examine modern formulation strategies overcoming traditional limitations.
- To propose a design paradigm for future mineral-based therapeutics.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of mineral drugs in oncology.
- Analysis of pharmacological pathways (regulated cell death, cell-cycle arrest, immunomodulation).
- Evaluation of advanced drug delivery systems (liposomes, nanoparticles, inorganic frameworks, stimuli-responsive systems).
Main Results:
- Mineral drugs exhibit anticancer effects through multiple interconnected pathways.
- Novel delivery systems enhance solubility, tumor targeting, and therapeutic window.
- Preclinical models show improved tumor suppression and reduced systemic toxicity.
- Challenges include in vivo chemical transformations and tumor heterogeneity.
Conclusions:
- Bioengineering strategies successfully address traditional barriers for mineral-based oncology drugs.
- A "Composition-Mechanism-Delivery" paradigm can guide future precision therapeutics.
- Further research is needed to overcome remaining challenges for clinical translation.
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