Self-protecting nanoparticles can enhance colorectal cancer drug delivery

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most prevalent types of cancer and has a high mortality rate globally. Oral administration of anticancer drugs that pass through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract into the colorectum is a common strategy to deliver drugs in CRC treatment. However, this approach presents distinct challenges: most of these drugs lack target-specificity, leading to off-target side effects; these drugs get easily adsorbed onto the microvilli structure of the small intestinal epithelium, resulting in premature drug loss; and systemic drug absorption reduces CRC-targeted drug delivery.