Designing new drug delivery systems (DDSs) for safer cancer therapy during pre-clinical and clinical applications still constitutes a considerable challenge, despite advances made in related fields. Lipid-based drug delivery systems (LBDDSs) have emerged as biocompatible candidates that overcome many biological obstacles. In particular, a combination of the merits of lipid carriers and functional polymers has maximized drug delivery efficiency. Functionalization of LBDDSs enables the accumulation of anti-cancer drugs at target destinations, which means they are more effective at controlled drug release in tumor microenvironments (TMEs). This review highlights the various types of ligands used to achieve tumor-specific delivery and discusses the strategies used to achieve the effective release of drugs in TMEs and not into healthy tissues. Moreover, innovative recent designs of LBDDSs are also described. These smart systems offer great potential for more advanced cancer therapies that address the challenges posed in this research area.
Keywords: biomimetics; cancer therapy; controlled release; functionalization; lipid-based drug delivery systems.