Current Insights into Polymeric Nanocarriers for Delivery of Phytomedicines in Breast Cancer Therapy

Background and Objectives: Globally, breast cancer is the most prevalent malignant disease that affects females and is one of the major causes of cancer-related death for women. The first line of treatment for breast cancer consists of chemotherapy drugs combined with radiation and surgical intervention. However, because therapeutic agents do not yet reach the tumor site at sufficient concentrations, resulting in decreased pharmacokinetics and increased systemic adverse effects, pharmacotherapy has been altered. Chemotherapy for breast cancer is more effective and successful, and is less toxic when nanotechnology is employed. Many cancer forms develop multidrug resistance, which appears to be a critical factor in the failure of numerous chemotherapy treatment classes. Phytofabricated nanoparticles have been developed recently for targeted herbal drug administration, molecular biology screening of biological markers for malignancies, and in vivo cancer diagnostics. Phytofabricated polymeric nanoparticles are the most prominent and emerging nanocarri-ers that have gained much research attention in the field of novel drug delivery systems for real-time treatment of breast cancer (BC) tumors. Methods: In herbal drug delivery technologies, the advancement of phytopharmacological science has led to the elucidation of the composition of phytoconstituents and their biological activities. Nano-sized herbal med-icines can overcome inadequate bioavailability, in vivo degradation and toxicity, uneven distribution, intesti-nal absorption, and a non-specific site of action. The combinatorial strategy of employing both nanotechnol-ogy and herbal medications allows for therapeutic potentiation, which reduces the required dose and undesir-able harmful effects. In the present study, a comprehensive search utilizes databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, etc, to locate the original research papers. In addition, diligent work is done to gather and update the progress of novel polymer-based nanocarriers for treating BC in the form of tables. Results: Researchers have devised innovative approaches to create and cultivate nanomedicine specifically targeted at breast cancer to attain even greater gains in drug resistance reversal, antitumorigenicity, antime-tastasis, and disease specificity. Nanoparticles' exceptionally high surface area-to-volume ratio makes it pos-sible to modify their surface characteristics for better therapeutic outcomes, i.e., cancer targeting, enhanced endocytosis and transcytosis, and extended circulation. This allows for more effective entry into tumor sites, metastasis, and cancer cells. Additionally, co-administration of phytochemical combinations may enhance additive or synergistic anticancer effects. Conclusion: Breast cancer treatment with phytofabricated polymeric nanoparticles appears to be a potential avenue of research. Furthermore, the utilization of phytofabricated polymeric nanoparticles in conjunction with other loaded phytoconstituents or chemotherapeutics demonstrated encouraging outcomes in the treat-ment of BC. This article depicts a comprehensive new finding that formulation scientists are developing on phytochemical-based polymeric nanocarriers to pave the way for future pharmaceutical nanotechnology re-search.