A Review of Research Progress on Lipid Carriers for Tumor-Specific Targeted Drugs

Abstract

Malignant tumors represent a major global public health issue. Traditional cancer treatments lack selectivity between cancer cells and normal cells, leading to severe cytotoxicity and the development of drug resistance in cancer cells. To address these challenges, scientists have successfully designed a series of liposome modification strategies based on various tumor-specific targets and the unique advantage of lipid nanocarriers, which allow for easy multifunctional surface modification. This paper aims to systematically summarize modification strategies for lipid nanocarriers in the field of tumor-specific targeted drug delivery. Based on the literature, these strategies are categorized into three main approaches: ligand-mediated active targeting, stimulus-responsive carriers, and synergistic strategies. The results indicate that antibody- or peptide-modified liposomes significantly enhance tumor cell recognition and uptake; pH-sensitive and reduction-sensitive liposomes can utilize the tumor microenvironment (TME) to trigger spatiotemporally controlled release; and synergistic strategies, such as combining active targeting with stimulus-responsive or multi-ligand modification, can effectively overcome tumor heterogeneity and physiological barriers. The aim is to provide researchers with a structured framework for selecting and combining strategies, and to propose future directions (non-Enhanced Permeability and Retention effect (EPR) -dependent targeting, more realistic animal models, scalable production, etc.)