Nanotechnology for drug delivery systems in colorectal cancer: Recent developments and future prospects

Table 2 Summary of organic nanomaterial-based in vitro and in vivo studies in colorectal cancer

Nanoformulation	Compound/system	Model	Key findings	Ref.
Dendrimers	Au NR@PAMAM-GX1/FAM172A	In vitro (HCT-8, L929 cells) and in vivo (tumor-bearing mice)	Reduced cell viability to ~20% under laser irradiation; enabled combined gene and photothermal therapy	Ye et al[143], 2021
Dendrimers	G5-HP/CpG	In vitro (MC38 cells) and in vivo (tumor-bearing mice)	Induced tumor ablation and immunogenic cell death	Zhong et al[145], 2025
Liposomes	Metformin + 2-deoxyglucose-loaded liposomes	In vitro (CT26 cells) and in vivo (tumor-bearing mice)	Demonstrated efficacy in both localized and metastatic CRC models	Li et al[150], 2024
Liposomes	LBP-CD155 L nanovesicles	In vitro (HT-29 cells) and in vivo (tumor-bearing mice)	Enhanced therapeutic efficacy in CRC through immune modulation	Yan et al[151], 2025
Polymeric nanoparticles	EpCAM aptamer-functionalized 5-FU-loaded PLGA NPs (Ap-FU-NPs)	In vitro (HCT-116, CT-26, HEK-293 cells) and in vivo (tumor-bearing mice)	Showed targeted delivery and enhanced efficacy in EpCAM-overexpressing CRC cells	Yavari et al[155], 2023
Polymeric nanoparticles	Berberine-loaded PEG-PLGA NPs	In vitro (HCT-116 cells) and in vivo (tumor-bearing mice)	Improved tumor accumulation, sustained release, and enhanced anticancer activity	Shen et al[156], 2024

PAMAM: Polyamidoamine; CRC: Colorectal cancer; 5-FU: 5-fluorouracil; PLGA: Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid); NPs: Nanoparticles; PEG: Polyethylene glycol; LBP: Lycium barbarum polysaccharides; CD155 L: CD155 gene in liposome.