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.