Macrophages mediated biomimetic drug delivery systems

Taking advantage of their enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, nanomedicines have been extensively studied for targeted drug delivery to tumor tissues. However, tumor heterogeneity restricts the EPR effect and drug penetration into tumors, and nano-formulations only generate a limited therapeutic improvement in clinical settings. Macrophages have the inherent ability of tumor homing, stealth in blood circulation, and phagocytosis of particles. In this short review, we categorize and discuss in-depth recent works using macrophages as carriers for delivery in this growing field of bioinspired research.