Abstract
Calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)), a natural common inorganic material with good biocompatibility, low toxicity, pH sensitivity, and low cost, has a widespread use in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. In recent years, an increasing number of CaCO(3)-based nano-drug delivery systems have been developed. CaCO(3) as a drug carrier and the utilization of CaCO(3) as an efficient Ca(2+) and CO(2) donor have played a critical role in tumor diagnosis and treatment and have been explored in increasing depth and breadth. Starting from the CaCO(3)-based nano-drug delivery system, this paper systematically reviews the preparation of CaCO(3) nanoparticles and the mechanisms of CaCO(3)-based therapeutic effects in the internal and external tumor environments and summarizes the latest advances in the application of CaCO(3)-based nano-drug delivery systems in tumor therapy. In view of the good biocompatibility and in vivo therapeutic mechanisms, they are expected to become an advancing biomedicine in the field of tumor diagnosis and treatment.