The Synthesis of Nano-Doxorubicin and its Anticancer Effect

Doxorubicin (DOX) is widely used as a clinical first-line anti-cancer drug. However, its clinical application is severely limited due to the lack of tumor specificity of the drug and severe side effects such as myelosuppression, nephrotoxicity, dose-dependent cardiotoxicity, and multi-drug resistance. To improve the bioavailability of DOX, maximize the therapeutic effect, and reduce its toxicity and side effects, many studies have been done on the nanoformulations of DOX, such as liposomes, polymer micelles, dendrimer, and nanogels. Herein, we review the latest progress of DOX nano-preparations and their anti-tumor effects, hoping to provide theoretical references and new research ideas for the development of new dosage forms of the drug and the technical methods available for clinical application.