Recent advancements in Nanotechnology-Mediated Platinum-Based cancer therapy

The utilization of Platinum (Pt)-based drugs has significantly transformed the landscape of cancer chemotherapy, serving as highly effective anticancer agents. However, the adverse effects and amplification of resistance to drugs in cancer cells compromise their therapeutic usefulness. In order to overcome the constraints, platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents are often administered in combination with other therapeutic modalities as the primary course of treatment for diverse cancer types, yielding notable therapeutic benefits. Nonetheless, in certain cases, the effectiveness of these combination treatments is diminished due to differing pharmacokinetic properties of the combined drugs, short circulation half-lives, and severe side effects. To this end, considerable resources have been dedicated to the development of nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery systems for Pt-based drugs. This is partly because of their adaptability in terms of drug delivery, capability to affect the tumor's microenvironment, and ability to include more genes, proteins, and small molecules to fight chemotherapy resistance in cancer. This paper summarizes the structure and cellular mechanisms of Pt(II) and Pt(IV) compounds, the loading of Pt(II) and Pt(IV) drugs into various delivery systems by employing physical encapsulation and conjugation techniques, recent strategies involving various types of nanoparticle-based platinum drugs and multifunctional approach of nanotechnology-enabled platinum-based cancer therapies including chemo-chemotherapy combination, chemo-photodynamic therapy, chemo–photothermal therapy, chemo–immunotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, electrochemotherapy, ultrasound-mediated delivery, triple multiple functionalities, and other combination therapies, and discussed pharmacokinetics (PK) of Pt-based drugs. Furthermore, we delve into the current challenges related to these approaches and offer insights into their potential future advancements. Our comprehensive summary and perspective aim to assist researchers in generating innovative ideas for developing highly potent nanomedicine specifically designed for anticancer applications, incorporating Pt-based drugs.