Anticancer DOX delivery system based on CNTs: Functionalization, targeting and novel technologies

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted significant attention as promising nanocarriers in the field of drug delivery, due to their properties such as ultrahigh length-to-diameter ratio and excellent cellular uptake. The unique conjugated structure of CNTs suits their surface for p-p stacking interactions with many drugs and therapeutic molecules with aromatic rings, including anthracyclines. Doxorubicin(DOX), as an anthracycline anticancer drug, can be easily adsorbed onto the surface of CNTs via p-p stacking, making the CNTs-DOX conjugation, as the basis of CNT-based drug delivery systems(DDSs) for the delivery of DOX to cancer cells. In this review article, the delivery of DOX using various CNT-based DDSs is presented. In addition, the current progress of in vitro and in vivo research on the design of DOX loaded CNT-based DDSs, including the functionalization and targeting of CNTs, has been reviewed, focusing particularly on emerging technologies and techniques to date for DOX delivery by CNT-based DDSs.