Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
This review aims to critically summarize and discuss the recent advancements in thymoquinone (TQ)-loaded alginate (ALG)-based polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) for targeted colorectal cancer (CRC) therapy. The review specifically focuses on formulation strategies, electrospray (ES)-assisted fabrication approaches, physicochemical characteristics, encapsulation efficiency (EE), drug release behavior, targeting potential, and anticancer efficacy of the developed nanoparticle (NPs) systems. Additionally, the review highlights the advantages, current limitations, and future translational prospects of PNPs-mediated TQ delivery for CRC management. TQ-loaded ALG-based PNPs represent a promising strategy for targeted CRC therapy due to their enhanced drug stability, improved EE, controlled release behavior, and selective anticancer activity. Various polymeric systems, including ALG, PLGA, chitosan, Eudragit S100, and PEGylated formulations, demonstrated significant therapeutic potential against multiple cancer cell lines while reducing systemic toxicity and improving drug bioavailability. ES-assisted fabrication techniques further contributed to the production of NPs with desirable physicochemical properties and sustained drug release characteristics. Despite encouraging in vitro findings, challenges related to large-scale production, long-term stability, in vivo validation, and clinical translation remain unresolved. Future research should therefore focus on advanced targeting strategies, comprehensive preclinical investigations, and scalable manufacturing approaches to facilitate the clinical application of TQ-loaded PNPs in CRC therapy.
Azad et al. (Sat,) studied this question.