MINI REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Pharmacology of Anti-Cancer Drugs
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1714460
This article is part of the Research TopicNanomedicine in Cancer Therapy: Advances and ChallengesView all articles
PLGA-based nanoparticles in colorectal cancer immunotherapy: current concepts and future perspectives
Provisionally accepted
- 1The Fourth People's Hospital of Zigong City, Zigong, China
- 2West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains a leading cause of cancer mortality, and the benefits of immune checkpoint inhibitors are largely confined to the dMMR/MSI-H minority, underscoring the need to remodel the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Poly(lactic-co- glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles offer biodegradable, tunable carriers with high payload capacity and amenability to targeting, enabling precise delivery and controlled release of immunomodulators. In CRC, these platforms can enhance antigen capture and presentation, recondition suppressive myeloid networks, and coordinate checkpoint blockade with complementary therapeutics to strengthen antitumor immunity and restrain tumor growth. In this review, we summarize current principles for PLGA nanoparticles-based immunotherapies, emphasizing payload selection, release kinetics, microenvironmental responsiveness, and spatiotemporal targeting in CRC. We also outline translational considerations encompassing safety, pharmacokinetics, manufacturability, and regulatory readiness. Addressing these factors may accelerate clinical deployment of PLGA-enabled strategies and extend the benefits of immunotherapy in CRC patients
Keywords: colorectal cancer, PLGA, Nanomedicine, Immunotherapy, clinical application
Received: 27 Sep 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Huang, Li, Tu and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Hua Yang, yanghua_dc@126.com
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