Smart Nanocarriers for Targeted Drug Delivery in treatment of oral cancer

Oral cancer remains a significant global health challenge due to its high morbidity, recurrence rate, and resistance to conventional therapies. Traditional treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy often cause severe side effects and lack specificity, leading to damage of healthy tissues. In recent years, smart nanocarriers have emerged as a promising strategy for targeted drug delivery in the treatment of oral cancer. These nanoscale systems are engineered to enhance drug solubility, stability, and bioavailability, while ensuring site-specific delivery and controlled release of therapeutic agents. Smart nanocarriers—such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, and stimuli-responsive systems—can be functionalized with ligands that recognize overexpressed receptors on oral cancer cells, allowing precise targeting. Furthermore, they can be designed to respond to internal (pH, redox, enzymes) or external (temperature, magnetic field, light) stimuli, triggering drug release specifically in the tumor microenvironment. This targeted approach minimizes systemic toxicity and improves therapeutic efficacy. This review explores recent advances in the design, functionality, and clinical potential of smart nanocarriers for oral cancer therapy, highlighting their role in personalized and minimally invasive treatment strategies.