Elbagory, Abdulrahman M.Marima, RahabaDlamini, Zodwa2022-02-092022-02-092021-11-13Elbagory, A.M.; Marima, R.M.; Dlamini, Z. Role and Merits of Green Based Nanocarriers in Cancer Treatment. Cancers 2021, 13, 5686. https://DOI.org/ 10.3390/cancers13225686.2072-6694 (online)10.3390/ cancers13225686http://hdl.handle.net/2263/83707The use of nanocarriers for biomedical applications has been gaining interests from researchers worldwide for the delivery of therapeutics in a controlled manner. These “smart” vehicles enhance the dissolution and the bioavailability of drugs and enable their delivery to the target site. Taking the potential toxicity into consideration, the incorporation of natural “green” materials, derived from plants or microbial sources, in the nanocarriers fabrication, improve their safety and biocompatibility. These green components can be used as a mechanical platform or as targeting ligand for the payload or can play a role in the synthesis of nanoparticles. Several studies reported the use of green based nanocarriers for the treatment of diseases such as cancer. This review article provides a critical analysis of the different types of green nanocarriers and their synthesis mechanisms, characterization, and their role in improving drug delivery of anticancer drugs to achieve precision cancer treatment. Current evidence suggests that green-based nanocarriers can constitute an effective treatment against cancer.en© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.Green nanotechnologyNanocarriersDrug delivery systemPlant extractsPolysaccharides nanoparticlesMicroorganism-based nanoparticlesAnticancer activityArticle