Green Synthesis and Functional Design of Polypyrrole-Based Nanomedicines for Cancer Theranostics: A Critical Review and Sustainability-Guided Perspective.

Authors

Jiaqiao Zhong, Yuanzhe Li

Published in

Polymers. Volume 18. Issue 16. Aug 21, 2026. Epub Aug 21, 2026.

Abstract

Nanomedicine has advanced cancer theranostics via targeted delivery and phototherapy, yet many high-performance systems rely on inorganic or metal-intensive materials synthesized through energy-demanding routes, raising concerns about biocompatibility, environmental accumulation, and sustainability. This review re-evaluates polypyrrole (PPy)-based nanomedicines from a green chemistry perspective, shifting focus from performance-centric optimization to sustainability-guided design. PPy, an organic conductive polymer with near-infrared photothermal activity and structural tunability, offers a promising platform. However, pristine PPy suffers from limited functionality, poor biodegradability, and insufficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. Reported FeCl₃-, CuCl₂-, and Fe²⁺/H₂O₂-mediated routes are compared to examine formulation-specific relationships among synthesis conditions, polymer characteristics, redox behavior, ROS-related function, and process burdens. Because the underlying studies differ in composition, processing, purification, and assay conditions, these comparisons are used to identify evidence-supported trade-offs and data gaps rather than to establish a universal causal hierarchy. Green strategies are critically assessed, including one-step carboxylated copolymerization for backbone degradability and metal-polyphenol networks for catalytic ROS amplification. To organize the heterogeneous evidence, this review introduces a PPy-specific dual-axis evidence map that considers process-related sustainability alongside biofunctional performance. This qualitative tool is intended to identify trade-offs and evidence gaps rather than provide a validated sustainability score.

PMID:
42655310
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 27 Aug 2026.

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