Anticancer enzymes play important roles in cancer treatment. The anticancer enzyme has been in clinical use to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia for many years. Other types of anticancer enzymes have been investigated in laboratory studies and clinical trials. Area covered: This paper will provide perspectives on the indications, anticancer mechanisms, enzymatic characteristics (such as molecular weight, organism source, and kinetic parameters) and pharmacokinetic behaviors of anticancer enzymes and their delivery systems by systematically analyzing available literature. The pharmacodynamics of anticancer enzyme delivery systems has also been summarized. Expert opinion: Anticancer enzymes kill cancer cells by depleting important nutrients required for growth or producing metabolite toxic to tumor cells. Suitable enzyme delivery systems have demonstrated promising effects on the pharmacokinetics, bioactivity and application of anticancer enzymes. Their current limitations and future potential are analyzed.[Figure: see text].
Keywords: Anticancer enzyme; anticancer effect; delivery system; indication; mechanism; pharmacokinetics.