Review of design strategies for active targeted drug delivery systems for pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is frequently referred to as the "king of cancers" due to its high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Chemotherapy drugs of a traditional nature are confronted with a multitude of challenges, including poor water solubility, low bioavailability, significant toxic side effects, and poor patient tolerance. This article provides a comprehensive review of the epidemiological and pathophysiological features of PC. The review also highlights the key antigens and receptors that are overexpressed in PC cells, including antigens such as TROP2, MSLN, MUC, and CA19-9. Furthermore, the article covers receptors like EGFR, TfR, integrins, GPCRs, IGF, GPC1, TF, and MET. The text introduces current pancreatic cancer treatment drugs, including gemcitabine, tegafur, and albumin-bound paclitaxel. The text also discusses targeted drug delivery carriers for PC, including liposomes, carbon nanotubes, exosome, polymer micelles, nanoparticles, nanocrystals, and hydrogel-encapsulated nanoparticles. The review offers a concise overview of the antibodies and ligands employed in active targeted drug delivery systems for PC, including hRS7, αTROP2, MF-T, TAB004, HzMUC1, as well as ligands such as EGF, GE11 peptide, Tf, tTR14, XQ-2d, cNGQ, α5β1-targeted peptide, IGF1, and SDC1. The therapeutic effects and prospects of combining active targeting strategies with photothermal therapy, immunotherapy, and gene editing technology are discussed in this paper.