Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a distinct subpopulation of cancer cells that orchestrate cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Despite advances in conventional therapies, the persistence of CSCs remains a major obstacle to achieving cancer eradication. Nanomedic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Bioactive Materials |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X25001264 |
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| author | Hongyu Wang Wenjing Zhang Yun Sun Xican Xu Xiaoyang Chen Kexu Zhao Zhao Yang Huiyu Liu |
| author_facet | Hongyu Wang Wenjing Zhang Yun Sun Xican Xu Xiaoyang Chen Kexu Zhao Zhao Yang Huiyu Liu |
| author_sort | Hongyu Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a distinct subpopulation of cancer cells that orchestrate cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Despite advances in conventional therapies, the persistence of CSCs remains a major obstacle to achieving cancer eradication. Nanomedicine-based approaches have emerged for precise CSC targeting and elimination, offering unique advantages in overcoming the limitations of traditional treatments. This review systematically analyzes recent developments in nanomedicine for CSC-targeted therapy, emphasizing innovative nanomaterial designs addressing CSC-specific challenges. We first provide a detailed examination of CSC biology, focusing on their surface markers, signaling networks, microenvironmental interactions, and metabolic signatures. On this basis, we critically evaluate cutting-edge nanomaterial engineering designed to exploit these CSC traits, including stimuli-responsive nanodrugs, nanocarriers for drug delivery, and multifunctional nanoplatforms capable of generating localized hyperthermia or reactive oxygen species. These sophisticated nanotherapeutic approaches enhance selectivity and efficacy in CSC elimination, potentially circumventing drug resistance and cancer recurrence. Finally, we present an in-depth analysis of current challenges in translating nanomedicine-based CSC-targeted therapies from bench to bedside, offering critical insights into future research directions and clinical implementation. This review aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the intersection of nanomedicine and CSC biology, contributing to more effective cancer treatment modalities. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4c44dc5fbdc94ddea58020c22feadf0a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2452-199X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioactive Materials |
| spelling | doaj-art-4c44dc5fbdc94ddea58020c22feadf0a2025-08-20T02:39:48ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Bioactive Materials2452-199X2025-08-0150619410.1016/j.bioactmat.2025.03.016Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cellsHongyu Wang0Wenjing Zhang1Yun Sun2Xican Xu3Xiaoyang Chen4Kexu Zhao5Zhao Yang6Huiyu Liu7State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnostics, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnostics, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnostics, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Green Biomanufacturing, Innovation Center of Molecular Diagnostics, College of Life Science and Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, China; Corresponding author.State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Bioprocess, Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, 100029, Beijing, China; Corresponding author.Cancer stem cells (CSCs) represent a distinct subpopulation of cancer cells that orchestrate cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. Despite advances in conventional therapies, the persistence of CSCs remains a major obstacle to achieving cancer eradication. Nanomedicine-based approaches have emerged for precise CSC targeting and elimination, offering unique advantages in overcoming the limitations of traditional treatments. This review systematically analyzes recent developments in nanomedicine for CSC-targeted therapy, emphasizing innovative nanomaterial designs addressing CSC-specific challenges. We first provide a detailed examination of CSC biology, focusing on their surface markers, signaling networks, microenvironmental interactions, and metabolic signatures. On this basis, we critically evaluate cutting-edge nanomaterial engineering designed to exploit these CSC traits, including stimuli-responsive nanodrugs, nanocarriers for drug delivery, and multifunctional nanoplatforms capable of generating localized hyperthermia or reactive oxygen species. These sophisticated nanotherapeutic approaches enhance selectivity and efficacy in CSC elimination, potentially circumventing drug resistance and cancer recurrence. Finally, we present an in-depth analysis of current challenges in translating nanomedicine-based CSC-targeted therapies from bench to bedside, offering critical insights into future research directions and clinical implementation. This review aims to provide a comprehensive framework for understanding the intersection of nanomedicine and CSC biology, contributing to more effective cancer treatment modalities.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X25001264NanomaterialsNanomedicine-based therapeuticsCancer stem cellsBiological characteristicsTumor microenvironments |
| spellingShingle | Hongyu Wang Wenjing Zhang Yun Sun Xican Xu Xiaoyang Chen Kexu Zhao Zhao Yang Huiyu Liu Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells Bioactive Materials Nanomaterials Nanomedicine-based therapeutics Cancer stem cells Biological characteristics Tumor microenvironments |
| title | Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells |
| title_full | Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells |
| title_fullStr | Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells |
| title_short | Nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells |
| title_sort | nanotherapeutic strategies exploiting biological traits of cancer stem cells |
| topic | Nanomaterials Nanomedicine-based therapeutics Cancer stem cells Biological characteristics Tumor microenvironments |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X25001264 |
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