RGD-engineered nanoparticles as an innovative drug delivery system in cancer therapy

The poor efficiency and drastic adverse effects of current cancer therapies entail a radical shift in treatment paradigms, which require developing cutting-edge therapeutics in laboratories and bringing them to rigorous preclinical and clinical testing. The principal drawbacks of present cancer therapies are the incapability of tumor targeting, uneven drug accumulation at the site of action, and poor tumor monitoring. Accordingly, incorporating nanoparticles (NPs) has made clinical progress in conveying conventional or candidate therapeutic molecules to the site of action, encouraging anticancer impacts. Interestingly, modern cancer therapy has lately been redefined by the functionalizing NPs with active targeting ligands like the Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid (RGD) peptide, remarkably strengthening the therapeutic outcomes and diminishing off-target effects. The overexpression of integrin receptors on the surface of cancerous cells brought a unique opportunity for cancer-targeted drug delivery since RGD-decorated nanocarriers precisely recognize these receptors and selectively transport their chemotherapeutic or diagnostic payloads to the cancerous cells. Subsequently, RGD-conjugated NPs have frequently been enlisted for cancer diagnosis and imaging-guided surgery, improving therapeutics strength and overwhelming drug resistance. Here, we discussed the relevance of integrin receptors in carcinogenesis and thoroughly deliberated the potential of RGD-functionalized NPs as innovative drug delivery platforms in modern cancer therapy.