Abstract

Cisplatin, a genotoxic agent, is one of the most potent chemotherapy drugs, and has been widely used alone or in combination with other antineoplastic drugs or radiation therapy to treat various cancer types. However, this drug causes adverse effects that limit its therapeutic efficiency. To overcome such limitations, drug delivery systems based on microemulsions and nanoparticles have been explored toward modulating the enhanced permeability and retention effect and promoting cisplatin delivery to tumors. This review summarizes cisplatin-based drug delivery systems, including polymeric, lipid-based, carbon-based, and inorganic carriers. Moreover, stimuli-responsive systems have been carefully investigated to elucidate their advantages compared with non-responsive systems. Different aspects related to the performance these delivery systems, including their release profile, physical characteristics, and antineoplastic activity, have been studied to demonstrate their efficiency. Finally, systems designed to co-deliver cisplatin and other drugs have been revised in detail. This review aims to compare different delivery systems for cisplatin and elucidate their potential by providing a comprehensive report on their critical parameters like particle size, zeta potential, release profile, encapsulation and loading efficiency, in-vitro, and in-vivo characterization. The results summarized herein will contribute in the effort to develop a more rational approach in anticancer drug design. © 2022