Advances in nano-delivery of natural products for cancer therapy: mechanisms and translational strategies.

Cancer remains a major global health burden, with conventional monotherapies often limited by recurrence, therapeutic resistance, and systemic toxicity. Natural products, derived from diverse sources and characterized by distinct chemical structures, exhibit broad anticancer potential by modulating multiple molecular pathways. However, their clinical application is frequently constrained by poor solubility, low bioavailability, and chemical instability. Nano-delivery systems (NDS) have emerged as a promising strategy to address these limitations by improving pharmacokinetic properties, stabilizing labile compounds, and enabling co-delivery with conventional therapeutics, thereby supporting multimodal and synergistic interventions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of natural product-based NDS in cancer therapy, beginning with classification strategies and mechanistic frameworks, followed by an analysis of how NDS enhance pharmacological performance and facilitate integration into combination regimens. Finally, it highlights key translational challenges and opportunities, offering a foundation for the future development and clinical translation of natural product-based NDS.