Abstract

Obesity and cancer intersect through shared inflammatory, endocrine, and metabolic circuits that amplify risk, 
accelerate progression, and blunt therapeutic response. Treating them as separate diseases leaves substantial 
biology unaddressed at the adipose–tumor interface. Smart nanocarriers engineered for co-delivery of anti
obesity and anticancer payloads offer a strategy to modulate host metabolism while simultaneously attacking 
malignant cells and their microenvironments. By tuning size, shape, and surface chemistry, and by embedding 
logic for stimuli responsiveness, active targeting, and imaging, multifunctional platforms can synchronize 
exposure of GLP-1 or AMPK-directed agents with chemotherapeutics, kinase inhibitors, immunomodulators, 
or nucleic acids, all within the pharmacokinetic and tissue constraints of high-BMI hosts. This review maps the 
rationale and design landscape for dual-action nanotherapy, from lipid and polymeric constructs to biomimetic 
and hybrid systems; details trigger chemistries and ligand choices that align with obesity-altered vasculature, 
extracellular matrix, and immune tone; and outlines dosing, safety, and translational principles that convert 
mechanistic synergy into clinical benefit. The central proposition is that metabolic correction and tumor control 
are not competing objectives but co-requisites that nanotechnology can deliver in a coordinated, patient-tailored 
manner.