Chemo-phototherapeutic co-delivery nanosystems for colorectal cancer: a review
- 1Qingdao Cancer Prevention and Treatment Research Institute, Qingdao Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Qingdao Central Hospital of Qingdao University
- 2College of Life Sciences, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Qingdao University
Abstract
Nanocarrier-based co-delivery has emerged as a rational strategy to address the pharmacokinetic mismatch, spatially heterogeneous drug exposure, and adaptive therapeutic resistance that limit colorectal cancer (CRC) combination therapy. Rather than simply increasing the number of payloads, effective co-delivery systems should create mechanistic coordination between drug ratio control, tumor-selective accumulation, intracellular release, and biological sensitization. This review critically summarizes CRC-related co-delivery platforms, including chemo-chemo combinations, chemotherapy with targeted therapeutics, and chemotherapy integrated with photothermal, photodynamic, magnetothermal, imaging-guided, or immunomodulatory functions. Across these systems, the most compelling designs are those that move beyond passive co-loading: fixed-ratio liposomes preserve synergistic drug exposure; receptor- or peptide-targeted carriers enhance selective uptake; pH-, enzyme-, ROS-, heat-, or magnetic-field-responsive platforms regulate release; and chemo-PDT/PTT systems connect cytotoxic drugs with oxidative stress, mild hyperthermia, immunogenic cell death, or tumor microenvironment remodeling. However, increasing functional integration often introduces a countervailing translational burden, including unclear component-level contribution, heterogeneous EPR-dependent delivery, insufficiently predictive models, long-term safety concerns for inorganic materials, and manufacturing/regulatory complexity. Future progress should shift from maximal multifunctionality toward clinically executable coordination, emphasizing mechanism-defined design, quantitative validation of each functional module, scalable formulation, biomarker-guided patient selection, and clinically relevant CRC models. Graphical Abstract
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BibTeX
@article{zou2026chemophototherapeutic,
title = {{Chemo-phototherapeutic co-delivery nanosystems for colorectal cancer: a review}},
author = {Jiaxin Zou and Dayang Wang and Zhaojun Kou and Yanan Li and Wei Pan and Hailin Cong and Bing Yu and Xuezhen Ma},
journal = {Cancer Nanotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12645-026-00405-x},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-026-00405-x},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Chemo-phototherapeutic co-delivery nanosystems for colorectal cancer: a review
AU - Jiaxin Zou
AU - Dayang Wang
AU - Zhaojun Kou
AU - Yanan Li
AU - Wei Pan
AU - Hailin Cong
AU - Bing Yu
AU - Xuezhen Ma
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Cancer Nanotechnology
DO - 10.1186/s12645-026-00405-x
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12645-026-00405-x
AB - Nanocarrier-based co-delivery has emerged as a rational strategy to address the pharmacokinetic mismatch, spatially heterogeneous drug exposure, and adaptive therapeutic resistance that limit colorectal cancer (CRC) combination therapy. Rather than simply increasing the number of payloads, effective co-delivery systems should create mechanistic coordination between drug ratio control, tumor-selective accumulation, intracellular release, and biological sensitization. This review critically summarizes CRC-related co-delivery platforms, including chemo-chemo combinations, chemotherapy with targeted therapeutics, and chemotherapy integrated with photothermal, photodynamic, magnetothermal, imaging-guided, or immunomodulatory functions. Across these systems, the most compelling designs are those that move beyond passive co-loading: fixed-ratio liposomes preserve synergistic drug exposure; receptor- or peptide-targeted carriers enhance selective uptake; pH-, enzyme-, ROS-, heat-, or magnetic-field-responsive platforms regulate release; and chemo-PDT/PTT systems connect cytotoxic drugs with oxidative stress, mild hyperthermia, immunogenic cell death, or tumor microenvironment remodeling. However, increasing functional integration often introduces a countervailing translational burden, including unclear component-level contribution, heterogeneous EPR-dependent delivery, insufficiently predictive models, long-term safety concerns for inorganic materials, and manufacturing/regulatory complexity. Future progress should shift from maximal multifunctionality toward clinically executable coordination, emphasizing mechanism-defined design, quantitative validation of each functional module, scalable formulation, biomarker-guided patient selection, and clinically relevant CRC models. Graphical Abstract
SN - 1868-6958
SN - 1868-6966
ER -