Emerging nanoparticles that target and eliminate cancer stem cells.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs), a distinct subpopulation within tumors possessing self-renewal and multilineage differentiation capacities, represent the pivotal drivers of therapeutic resistance, tumor recurrence, and metastatic dissemination. The inherent heterogeneity and drug resilience of CSCs render conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy largely ineffective against this population despite their ability to eliminate bulk tumor cells, ultimately limiting treatment outcomes. In recent years, nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged as promising therapeutic platforms for CSCs-targeted intervention due to their unique physicochemical properties and multifunctional capabilities. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in utilizing organic (liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles), inorganic (gold, silica), and biologically derived (extracellular vesicles, cell membrane-coated NPs) NPs for CSCs eradication. These nanoplatforms achieve active CSCs targeting and elimination through surface modification with CSCs-specific markers, pathway-targeting molecules, or regulators of CSCs biological properties. Although significant progress has been made in nanoparticle-mediated anti-CSCs therapy, critical challenges remain in targeting efficiency, scalable manufacturing, and comprehensive safety evaluation. The continued evolution of drug delivery systems (DDSs) coupled with future breakthroughs in drug delivery vehicles will undoubtedly lead to greater advances in CSCs-targeted DDSs.