Polysaccharide Nanoparticles for Targeted Cancer Therapies

Background: Despite extensive advances have been made in constructing polysaccharide-based nanomedicines for target cancer therapy due to their biocompatibility, easy-functionalizability and high targeting property, there is no review concentrating the significance of the intrinsic targeting properties of polysaccharides. This review mainly focuses on the recent progress on polysaccharide-based nanoparticles which have been applied in gene delivery, drug delivery and theranostics for targeted cancer therapies. Notably, representative polysaccharides with intrinsic targeting capability used as targeting ligand are well discussed. Conclusion: It has been found that polysaccharides have become a class of promising biopolymer carrier materials to deliver anti-cancer therapeutic molecules. Among all of polysaccharides, those who are with intrinsic properties of targeting are most frequently used. Therefore, this review revealed the importance of understanding the natural functions of polysaccharides to tailor nanocarrier platforms and ultimately surmount challenges in targeted cancer therapy.