Boron nitride nanomaterials for cancer therapy: Tailor-made strategies

Abstract

Boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials are an emerging biomaterial with great potential for cancer treatment owing to their excellent biocompatibility, light weight, high chemotherapeutic drug loading capacity (> 300 wt%), stimuli-responsive release behavior (such as pH and neutron irradiation), and unique biological activity. The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in the field of tailoring BN nanomaterials for cancer therapy. The review will establish the design principles of BN nanomaterials that are suitable for cancer treatment. It will summarize the synthesis methods, the ways to improve their dispersibility in aqueous solution, and the biocompatibility and the biodegradability of BN nanomaterials. Furthermore, a comprehensive review of the application of BN nanomaterials in cancer therapy will be presented, encompassing the delivery of chemotherapy drug, their intrinsic anticancer effects, boron neutron capture therapy, cancer immunotherapy, irreversible electroporation, and combination therapy. BN nanomaterials with tunable sizes ranging from a few to hundreds of nanometers show great promise in the treatment of various cancers, such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, and glioblastoma. Finally, we will present prospects regarding future directions in this evolving field of tailoring BN nanomaterials to reshape cancer therapy.