Interrogation of the tumor microenvironment by nanoparticles

Prasanta Panja; Upender Manne; Vibhudutta Awasthi; Resham Bhattacharya; Priyabrata Mukherjee

doi:10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217454

Interrogation of the tumor microenvironment by nanoparticles

Cancer Lett. 2025 Jan 11:612:217454. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217454. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Prasanta Panja¹, Upender Manne², Vibhudutta Awasthi³, Resham Bhattacharya⁴, Priyabrata Mukherjee⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
² Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA; O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center, Suite 309, 1110 N. Stonewall Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK, 73117, USA.
⁴ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA; Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA.
⁵ Department of Pathology, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA; Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, 73104, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39805387
DOI: 10.1016/j.canlet.2025.217454

Abstract

The tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a pivotal role in cancer progression by fostering intricate multicellular crosstalk among cancer cells, stromal cells, and immune cells. This review explores the emerging paradigm of utilizing nanoparticles to disrupt this crosstalk within the TME as a therapeutic strategy. Nanoparticles are engineered with precise physicochemical properties to target specific cell types and deliver therapeutic payloads, thereby inhibiting critical signaling pathways involved in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. The mechanisms involved include modulation of the immune response, interference with growth factor signaling, and induction of programmed cell death in cancer cells. Challenges such as biocompatibility, efficient delivery, and potential development of resistance are discussed alongside promising advancements in nanoparticle design. Moving forward, integration of nanoparticle-based therapies with existing treatment modalities holds great potential for enhancing therapeutic efficacy and personalized medicine in cancer therapy.

Keywords: Cancer therapy; Multicellular crosstalk; Nanomedicine; Targeting; Tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

Review