Pluronic polymers (pluronics) are a unique class of synthetic triblock copolymers containing hydrophobic polypropylene oxide (PPO) and hydrophilic polyethylene oxide (PEO) arranged in the PEO-PPO-PEO manner. Due to their excellent biocompatibility and amphiphilic properties, pluronics are an ideal and promising biological material, which is widely used in drug delivery, disease diagnosis, and treatment, among other applications. Through self-assembly or in combination with other materials, pluronics can form nano carriers with different morphologies, representing a kind of multifunctional pharmaceutical excipients. In recent years, the utilization of pluronic-based multi-functional drug carriers in tumor treatment has become widespread, and various responsive drug carriers are designed according to the characteristics of the tumor microenvironment, resulting in major progress in tumor therapy. This review introduces the specific role of pluronic-based polymer drug delivery systems in tumor therapy, focusing on their physical and chemical properties as well as the design aspects of pluronic polymers. Finally, using newer literature reports, this review provides insights into the future potential and challenges posed by different pluronic-based polymer drug delivery systems in tumor therapy.
Keywords: cancer therapy; drug delivery system; hydrophilic-lipophilic balance; pluronic; stimulus-responsive polymer.