The Role of Copper Ions in Mediating the Anti-Cancer Effects Using Nanomaterials

Copper plays a pivotal role in human physiology, particularly in oncology, acting both as a facilitator of progression and also as a potential avenue for advanced therapeutic approaches. Maintaining copper homeostasis is crucial. The dysregulation of copper homeostasis is implicated in tumor growth through its involvement in critical processes of angiogenesis, proliferation, and metastasis. The elevation in copper level in the tumor microenvironment (TME) activates oncogenic pathways to drive the neovascularization and sustained growth of malignancies. However, the same reliance on copper offers a unique weakness that can be leveraged for innovative therapeutic interventions. The recent advances in nanomedicine enable the synthesis of nanostructures that can help modulate the level of copper with precision offering multifaceted approaches for copper-based cancer therapy with controlled release mechanism, optimized structures to induce cuproptosis, selective eradication of cancer cells with minimum and systemic toxicity. This review explores the dual role of copper in cancer biology, emphasizing its contribution to the progression of tumors and its emerging application in targeted cancer therapy. The review also highlights the potential of nanostructures in harnessing copper-based therapies and their transformative potential from bench to bed side with novel, highly effective, and clinical safety.