Table 8.

Dextron-Based Biopolymeric Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy

Type of Dextron	Loaded Drugs	Type of Nanosystem	Zeta Potential(mV)	Diameter(nm)	PDI	Anti-Tumor Activity	Application	Ref
CMD	MnO2	NPs	−23.83 ± 2.11	208.3 ± 14.2	/	The ability to effectively deplete tumor GSH to collapse the tumor antioxidant defense system; Ability to amplify oxidative stress-induced cell necrosis	SDT	[216]
DEX	siRNA	Nanodroplets	−13.1±0.8 to 9.82±0.94	111.8 ± 1.9	0.276	Dextran-based condensates allow efficient DNA compression and loading with GSH responsiveness, low cytotoxicity, and higher transfection efficiency	Gene Therapy	[217]
BFP	SeNPs	Nanotubes	−6.65	33	/	BFP-Se nanomaterials barely affected normal cell growth and significantly inhibited the viability of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines (HCC) in a dose-dependent manner. Capable of disrupting critical antioxidant systems to promote iron death in tumor cells, BFP-Se was able to target into the tumor environment, increasing tumor suppression from 53% to 81% compared to SeNPs alone	Chemotherapy	[218]
Aminated β-glucan	OVA	NPs	25.4 ± 1.7	183.6 ± 0.9	0.113 ± 0.022	Packaging efficiency of more than 80%. Enhanced uptake of antigen by APCs. Promotes macrophage maturation and enhances Th1 and Th2 type immune responses	Immune booster	[219]
Acetalated Dextran	Nutlin-3a	NPs	40±2	221±4	0.12±0.03	GM-CSF and CpG-ODN can promote a strong anti-tumor immune response by recruiting and activating APCs in the presence of antigen. NPs can be targeted for delivery to the tumor system	Chemotherapy with immunotherapy	[212]
PCL-g-Dex	DOX	Micelles	/	142.2	0.16	The DOX loading rate can be changed by adjusting the Dox/co-polymer ratio. The micelles released slowly and completely after seven days at pH 5.5, while the DOX release rate was less than 40% at pH 7.4. The drug-loaded micelles were able to kill cancer cells but had little killing effect on normal cells	Chemotherapy	[210]
DEAE-DEX	mRNA	NPs	~20	120–210	/	A suitable molar ratio of DEAE-Dextran: mRNA (3~10) was found, which provides high cellular uptake efficiency, higher transfection rate, and small particle size.	Gene Therapy	[211]
SpAcDEX	miRNA-21 oligonucleotide (ATMO-21)	NPs	+35.6	175.6	0.53	The ability to target brain cancer cells, thus minimizing damage to normal cells. Inhibits the growth of U87MG cells in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo, tumor model tests demonstrated that the particles have tumor suppressive effects	Gene Therapy	[213]
Thiolated Dextran	miRNA	NPs	20.8 ± 1.2	132 ± 8	0.174 ± 0.01	Significantly improve the permeability and retention time of miRNAs. Effectively enhances the uptake of nanoparticles by cancer cells, leading to higher gene silencing and cancer cell apoptosis.	Gene Therapy	[214]
Methacrylated Dextran	Synthetic long peptides (SLPs)	Nanogels	+24	210	<0.03	Nanogels can be internalized by dendritic cells (DCs) and activate these immature cells	Immunotherapy	[220]
Dex-b-PLGA	/	NPs	between +20 and −15	88 ± 2	/	Capable of negative charge at physiological pH and a positive charge at slightly acidic pH, thus resisting protein adsorption at neutral pH and enhancing cellular uptake of NPs by cells	/	[221]
CMD	ICG	NPs	−13.5 ± 1.7	27.5 ± 5.6	0.5	Ability to target macrophages and enable NIR-II fluorescence imaging in a mouse model of subcutaneous pancreatic tumors	Tumor Imaging	[222]
Dextran Valproate	Valproic acid	NPs	/	179	0.199	/	Gene Therapy	[223]
Dextran Aldehyde	Quercetin	NPs	−47.4	259.7 ± 90.7	/	NPs are non-toxic to HEK-293T cells and are able to induce histone H3 acetylation, which is rapidly taken up by HEK-3 cells.	molecular targeted therapy	[224]
PEG-CMD	Chlorin e6	Nanobubbles	−54.1±6.7	142.3 ± 29.4	/	/	Sonodynamic Therapy	[225]

Abbreviations: DEAE-DEX, polysaccharide diethylaminoethylen (DEAE) – Dextran; SpAcDEX, spermine-modified acetalated dextran; PEG-CMD, PEGylated carboxymethyl dextran. BFP, β-glucan.