Prashant Kesharwani

Liposome-engineered therapeutics: A promising frontier in ovarian cancer treatment

Ovarian cancer remains a leading cause of gynecological cancer-related mortality, with epithelial ovarian carcinoma, germ cell tumors, and stromal tumors being the most prevalent types. The disease is classified based on the Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie et d'Obstétrique (FIGO) staging system, and its incidence increases with age. Standard treatment strategies, including taxanes, platinum-based drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors, as well as emerging gene and immunotherapies, often suffer from significant adverse effects and limited efficacy. To overcome these challenges, advanced drug delivery systems are essential for enhancing therapeutic outcomes while minimizing toxicity. Liposomes have emerged as a promising nanocarrier for targeted drug delivery in ovarian cancer therapy, offering improved drug stability, prolonged circulation time, and enhanced tumor-specific accumulation. Functional modifications, such as ligand conjugation and combination therapies, further optimize their therapeutic potential. This review discusses recent advancements in liposome-based drug delivery for ovarian cancer, highlighting their benefits, challenges, and future directions in improving treatment efficacy.

Targeting ovarian cancer: The promise of liposome-based therapies

A major cause of mortality among gynecological cancers, ovarian cancer is frequently unresponsive to standard therapies because to systemic toxicity and medication resistance. The contribution of liposomal drug delivery systems, specifically pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), to the advancement of ovarian cancer treatment is examined in this review. Liposomes, spherical lipid vesicles consisting of bilayer phospholipids, enable better drug delivery by preserving encapsulated pharmaceuticals and enabling tailored administration to tumor areas. In comparison to traditional doxorubicin, PLD has a better pharmacokinetic profile and less cardiotoxicity, according to the analysis, which examines several trials showing its effectiveness in treating both platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. Furthermore, studies on liposomal versions of other medications, such as paclitaxel and cisplatin, demonstrate encouraging effects in terms of overcoming drug resistance and enhancing therapeutic outcomes. Recent advancements in tailored liposomal delivery systems that include components such tumor-specific peptides and folate receptors show improved tumor selectivity and fewer adverse effects. The study also looks at new combination treatments that use liposomal formulations with immunotherapeutic and new targeted medicines. Although liposomal drug delivery methods have great potential for treating ovarian cancer, further study is required to maximize their effectiveness, reduce side effects, and get beyond resistance mechanisms. These developments in liposomal technology are a major step toward turning ovarian cancer from a deadly illness into a chronic condition that can be managed, possibly increasing patient survival and quality of life.

Polymeric micelles paving the Way: Recent breakthroughs in camptothecin delivery for enhanced chemotherapy

GLUT1 transporter-facilitated solid lipid nanoparticles loaded with anti-cancer therapeutics for ovarian cancer targeting

The therapeutics available for cancer treatment have the major hurdle of site-specific delivery of anti-cancer drugs to the tumor site and non-target specific side effects. The standard therapy for ovarian cancer still poses numerous pitfalls due to the irrational use of drugs affecting healthy cells. As an appealing approach, nanomedicine could revamp the therapeutic profile of anti-cancer agents. Owing to the low manufacturing cost, increased biocompatibility, and modifiable surface properties, lipid-based nanocarriers, particularly solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), have remarkable drug delivery properties in cancer treatment. Given the extra-ordinary benefits, we developed anti-neoplastic (paclitaxel) drug-loaded SLN (PTX-SLN) and functionalized with N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GLcNAc) (GLcNAc-PTX-SLN) to reduce the rate of proliferation, growth, and metastasis of ovarian cancer cells over-expressing GLUT1 transporters. The particles presented considerable size and distribution while demonstrating haemocompatibility. Using GLcNAc modified form of SLNs, confocal microscopy, MTT assay, and flow cytometry study demonstrated higher cellular uptake and significant cytotoxic effect. Also, molecular docking results established excellent binding affinity between GLcNAc and GLUT1, complimenting the feasibility of the therapeutic approach in targeted cancer therapy. Following the compendium of target-specific drug delivery by SLN, our results demonstrated a significant response for ovarian cancer therapy.

Liposome-based nanocarriers for Ovarian cancer: Molecular targeting, therapeutic mechanisms, and clinical translation.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most aggressive gynecologic malignancies, often diagnosed at advanced stages with poor survival outcomes due to chemoresistance, tumor heterogeneity, and systemic toxicity from conventional therapies. Liposome-based nanocarriers offer a clinically validated yet biologically constrained platform with the potential to address these limitations by enabling tumor-targeted drug delivery, improved solubility, controlled release, and reduced off-target toxicity. These lipid-based systems efficiently encapsulate both hydrophilic and hydrophobic agents and prolong systemic circulation through PEGylation. Molecular targeting via surface modification with tumor-specific ligands enhances selective uptake by OC cells and facilitates deep penetration into the tumor microenvironment. Clinically validated formulations such as Caelyx® (pegylated liposomal DOX) have demonstrated improved therapeutic indices in OC by exploiting the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Ongoing advances in liposomal design, such as stimuli-responsive release systems, biopolymer-coated liposomes, and combination therapy approaches, have been used to co-deliver chemotherapeutics and nucleic acids, which in preclinical models reduced efflux pump expression and enhanced chemosensitivity. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in large-scale production, tumor-specific accumulation, and in vivo stability. This review discusses the molecular design strategies, therapeutic mechanisms, and clinical progress of liposome-based nanocarriers in OC, emphasizing their role in personalized and precision oncology.