Ingredients with the anti-tumor property from traditional Chinese medicine/natural products have effects in treating tumor by regulating immune function, inhibiting tumor cell growth, inducing apoptosis, and reversing multidrug resistance. However, the potential of clinical application was restricted by the low hydrophilicity, stability and bioavailability and the lack of targeting. The above problems can be solved through research and development of supramolecular chemistry based on the non-covalent interactions between molecules. The supramolecular macrocyclic host molecules are characterized by a special cavity structure, low toxicity, high stability and rich derivatives spot. The anti-tumor supramolecular drug delivery system loading traditional Chinese medicine/natural products were designed to solve the above problems. In this paper, different supramolecular macrocyclic molecules, including crown ethers, cyclodextrin, calixarene, cucurbituril and two new-type supramolecular macrocyclic hosts were introduced. Their inclusion in enhancing drug solubility and stability, targeting drug delivery, synergies, combinative administration and new-type therapies in different applications, as well as such drug load modes as supramolecular polymers, indirect combination drug mode and polyrotaxanes were also reviewed in this paper, in order to provide a new idea for effective drug utilization.
Keywords: anti-tumor; drug delivery system; supramolecular macrocyclic molecules; traditional Chinese medicine/natural products.