Doxorubicin prodrug-based nanomedicines for the treatment of cancer

The chemotherapeutic drug of doxorubicin (DOX) has witnessed widespread applications for treating various cancers. DOX-treated dying cells bear cellular modifications which allow enhanced presentation of tumor antigen and neighboring dendritic cell activation. Furthermore, DOX also facilitate the immune-mediated clearance of tumor cells. However, disadvantages such as severe off-target toxicity, and prominent hydrophobicity have resulted in unsatisfactory clinical therapeutic outcomes. The effective delivery of DOX drug molecules is still challenging despite the rapid advances in nanotechnology and biomaterials. Huge progress has been witnessed in DOX nanoprodrugs owing to their brilliant benefits such as tumor stimuli-responsive drug release capacity, high drug loading efficiency and so on. This review summarized recent progresses of DOX prodrug-based nanomedicines to provide deep insights into future development and inspire researchers to explore DOX nanoprodrugs with real clinical applications.

Automated summary

The chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used for treating various cancers, but it has some disadvantages such as off-target toxicity and hydrophobicity. DOX treatment can enhance tumor antigen presentation and activate dendritic cells, as well as facilitate immune-mediated clearance of tumor cells. Despite advances in nanotechnology and biomaterials, the effective delivery of DOX drug molecules remains challenging. This review summarizes recent progress in DOX prodrug-based nanomedicines and provides insights for future development and clinical applications.