Nanomedicines in oral cancer: inspiration comes from extracellular vesicles and biomimetic nanoparticles.

Oral cancer is a common life-threatening malignancy having high mortality and morbidity rates. During the treatment process, individuals unavoidably experience severe side effects. It is essential to develop safer and more effective strategies. Currently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) and biomimetic nanoparticles are nanomedicines with long-term blood circulation and lower off-target toxicity that orchestrate immune responses and accumulate specifically in tumor sites. EVs create a synergetic effect by encapsulating drugs and collaborating with naturally loaded elements in the EVs. Biomimetic nanoparticles retain the characteristic features of the synthetic nanocarriers and inherit the intrinsic cell membrane functionalities. This review outlines the properties, applications, challenges, pros and cons of EVs and biomimetic nanoparticles, providing novel perspectives on oral cancer.