Nanoparticles for Doxorubicin Delivery: Advances in Carrier Design and Synergistic Cancer Therapy

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline-class medication with a broad spectrum of antitumor activity, although significant adverse cardiac toxicity limits its use. This dictates the need for its encapsulation in drug delivery systems, as nanoparticles can eliminate cardiac toxicity and enhance tumor uptake. This review focuses on advances in inorganic/polymeric nanocarrier engineering that can (1) provide sites for doxorubicin immobilization, (2) ensure colloidal stability, and (3) allow multifunctional capabilities for synergistic cancer treatment. Focusing mainly on polymeric and polymer-capped inorganic nanomaterials owing to their high control over composition, we describe approaches to obtain nanoparticles for synergistic chemotherapy using doxorubicin in combination with magnetic hyperthermia, photothermal, and photodynamic cancer therapies. In addition, the review outlines selected chemical routes for the synthesis of the macromolecules required for efficient doxorubicin incorporation. The prospects for the use of doxorubicin carriers as theranostics described in this review underscore the need for innovation in carrier design for efficient cancer therapy.