Advances in the design and application of glycolysis-related nanodelivery systems for anti-tumor

Abstract

Hypoxia is a common feature of solid tumors, and activation of hypoxia-inducing factors in the tumor hypoxia microenvironment can lead to complex reprogramming of glucose metabolism in tumor cells. In particular, the unique glucose metabolism pattern of tumor cells, mainly glycolysis pathway, provides conditions for tumor growth, metastasis, immune escape and drug resistance. Drug development for glycolysis-related targets is more targeted and safer than traditional chemotherapy drugs, and drug delivery systems offer favorable strategies for improving the targeted therapy of these drugs in vivo. Here, we review drug delivery systems that target tumor glycolysis, including specific small molecule inhibitors, siRNA, and other nanodelivery systems that affect glycolysis, and note the multifunctional anti-tumor nanodelivery systems that combine multiple therapeutic modalities including chemotherapy, photothermal, photodynamic, sonodynamic, chemodynamic therapies, as well as photoacoustic, magnetic resonance imaging. Several major challenges and future directions in the development and transformation of anti-tumor nanostrategies for glycolysis are discussed. The development of innovative anti-tumor nanodelivery systems related to tumor glycolysis could provide powerful weapons against tumor progression in the foreseeable future.