Quantitative comparison of nanocarrier types for antitumor therapy.
| Nanocarrier type | Composition | Size range (nm) | Drug loading (% w/w) | Encapsulation efficiency (%) | Circulation half-life (h) | Example applications | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liposomes | Phospholipid bilayers | 50–200 | 5–15 | 80–95 | 10–55 (PEGylated) | Doxil® for ovarian cancer (response rate 25–40%, cardiotoxicity < 5%) | [48] |
| Micelles | Amphiphilic copolymers | 20–100 | 10–30 | 70–90 | 4–24 | Genexol-PM for breast cancer (AUC 2–3-fold increase, 47% response) | [48] |
| Dendrimers | Branched polymers (e.g., PAMAM) | 3–10 | 20–40 | 85–95 | 2–12 | PAMAM-DOX for targeted delivery (5-fold uptake, IC50 0.05 μM) | [49] |
| Polymeric nanoparticles | Biodegradable polymers (e.g., PLGA, PCL) | 50–200 | 10–25 | 75–90 | 6–48 | Abraxane® for pancreatic cancer (survival + 2 months, neuropathy 3%) | [49] |
| Mesoporous silica | Silica frameworks | 50–150 | 20–50 | 80–95 | 4–24 | DOX-loaded for pH-responsive release (80% at pH 5.0, surface 700–1,000 m2/g) | [49] |
| Gold nanoparticles | Metallic gold cores | 10–50 | 5–20 | 70–85 | 2–12 | AuroLase® for thermal ablation (90% necrosis, temp rise 20–50°C) | [50] |
| Iron oxide nanoparticles | Magnetic oxides (e.g., Fe3O4) | 10–100 | 5–15 | 70–90 | 4–24 | SPIONs for hyperthermia (80% apoptosis at 42–45°C) | [50] |
| Hybrid systems | Lipid-polymer composites | 50–150 | 15–35 | 80–95 | 8–36 | Core-shell lipid-polymer for DOX/PTX (synergy index 0.2–0.5, 2–3-fold penetration) | [50] |
| Carbon-based (e.g., Graphene, CNTs) | Carbon allotropes | 5–100 | 10–40 | 75–90 | 2–18 | Graphene oxide-DOX for NIR ablation (loading 200% w/w, 70% release at pH 5.0) | [51] |
| Quantum dots | Semiconductor nanocrystals | 2–10 | 5–15 | 65–85 | 1–8 | CdSe/ZnS for real-time tracking (quantum yield 50–80%, emission 400–700 nm) | [51] |
| Protein-based (e.g., albumin) | Natural proteins | 100–200 | 10–30 | 80–95 | 12–48 | Albumin-bound PTX (Abraxane®) for metastatic cancer (AUC 2.5-fold, response 33%) | [51] |
| Viral vectors | Engineered viruses | 20–200 | 5–20 | 70–90 | 2–24 | Oncolytic adenovirus for head/neck cancer (transduction 80–95%, tumor lysis 70%) | [52] |
| Exosomes | Cell-derived vesicles | 30–150 | 5–25 | 75–90 | 4–12 | miRNA-loaded exosomes for glioma (uptake 60%, gene silencing 70%) | [53] |
| Biomimetic NPs | Cell membrane-coated | 50–200 | 10–30 | 80–95 | 12–48 | RBC-membrane-coated DOX NPs (circulation t1/2 20 h, tumor accumulation 15%) | [54] |
| Hydrogels | Cross-linked polymers | 100–500 | 5–20 | 70–85 | 6–24 | DOX-hydrogel for local tumor injection (release over 7 days, tumor inhibition 70%) | [55] |
PAMAM: poly(amidoamine); PLGA: poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid); PCL: polycaprolactone; AUC: area under the curve; DOX: doxorubicin; PTX: paclitaxel; SPIONs: superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles; NPs: nanoparticles; NIR: near-infrared.