Harnessing glucose metabolism with nanomedicine for cancer treatment

The significance of metabolic processes in cancer biology has garnered substantial attention, as they are essential for meeting the anabolic demands and maintaining the redox balance of rapidly dividing cancer cells. A distinctive feature of tumors is that cancer cells, unlike normal cells, exhibit an increased rate of glucose metabolism. They predominantly relying on aerobic glycolysis to metabolize glucose, which enables these cells to supply energy and produce the necessary building blocks for growth. Targeting glucose metabolism has led to the development of various cancer treatments. However, these agents often have limited efficacy due to factors such as poor stability and solubility, rapid clearance and an insufficient amount of the drug reaching the target site. These limitations can be overcome by preparing nano dosage forms through nanotechnology, which leverages the unique properties of nanomaterials to deliver drugs more precisely to target tissues with controlled release. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in nanomedicine, focusing on the modulation of glucose metabolism in cancer cells. We discuss the design and application of various strategies that have been engineered to target the metabolic hallmarks of cancer. These nanomedicine strategies aim to exploit the metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer cells, thereby offering novel approaches to cancer therapy. The review highlights the innovative nanomaterials and their potential to deliver therapeutic agents more effectively, as well as the challenges and considerations in translating these nanomedicines from bench to bedside. By targeting the glucose metabolism of cancer cells, these nanoscale interventions hold promise for improving treatment outcomes and potentially overcoming the resistance that often plagues conventional cancer therapies.