From Nature to Nanomedicine: Green Nanobased Innovations for Melanoma Therapy

Cutaneous melanoma is an aggressive malignancy for which conventional treatments are often limited by acquired resistance, systemic toxicity, and insufficient dermal penetration. To overcome these therapeutic limitations, green nanomedicine has emerged as a promising alternative, employing biological systems such as plant extracts to sustainably synthesize bioactive metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, including Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs), Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2NPs), and Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). The phytochemical capping of these biogenic nanoplatforms enhances biocompatibility and enables multiple antineoplastic mechanisms, including targeted oxidative stress, metabolic disruption, and photothermal ablation. Translating these cellular-level effects into clinical efficacy requires overcoming significant physiological barriers, particularly the stratum corneum. As a result, research is increasingly focused on incorporating these bioactive metallic cores into advanced, stimuli-responsive delivery vehicles. Examples include polymeric scaffolds for enhanced payload retention and solid lipid nanoparticles for improved transdermal penetration. Although hierarchical bio-nanocomposites offer a promising approach to overcoming tumor resistance, successful clinical translation will require standardized large-scale synthesis and comprehensive in vivo evaluation to bridge the gap between preclinical studies and targeted precision therapy.