17 - Carbon Nanotubes: A Promising Carrier for Drug Delivery and Targeting

Abstract

Design and development of an efficient drug-delivery system is of immense importance, not only for the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of diseases but also to improve the pharmacological profile of therapeutic molecules. Nanomedicine is a promising field that proposes the utilization of precisely engineered nanomaterials as a new carrier system for the delivery of drugs. An ideal carrier will have targeting effects, and on reaching the effect-relevant site, it can release the drug. In recent years, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the fancy of scientists as novel carriers for drug delivery. They are emerging as an extraordinary tool for drug transportation and translocation and have shown significant promise for commercialization. The inherent property of carbon nanotubes, which is to breach the cell membrane of different types of mammalian cells, can be utilized for cellular transport and as a delivery system for functional biological cargos. The transporting capabilities of CNTs, along with the appropriate surface modification and exclusive physicochemical properties, holds great potential in the field of drug delivery.