Chapter 13 - Advanced drug delivery applications of self-assembled nanostructures and polymeric nanoparticles

Abstract

In recent years, various nanocarriers have gained increasing attention in drug delivery and biomedicine due to their abilities to overcome several challenges of conventional drug delivery including restricted effectiveness, low biodistribution, unwanted side effects, and deficit sensitivity. Among various nanocarriers, self-assembling nanostructures including micelles, microemulsions, hydrogels, nanogels, liposomes, cubosomes, colloidosomes, and multilayer capsules, possess favorable pharmacological properties. Dendrimer, a unique class of polymeric macromolecule, offers unique architecture and functionality providing not only a uniform platform for drug attachment, but also an opportunity to capture both passive and active drug delivery. Further, conceivable improvements in the field of polymer chemistry have led to numerous polymeric nanoparticle forms that which have been emerged as rising carriers for delivering small and macromolecules, proffering fascinating options of biodegradability and biocompatibility while achieving controlled and targeted drug delivery. These nanostructures disclose limitless avenues in drug therapy that can be devised for efficacious treatment of certain complex diseases. This chapter discusses design strategies, drug delivery perspectives, current status and challenges of self-assemblies, dendrimers, and polymeric nanoparticles as promising nanostructured drug delivery vehicles, and portrays their perspectives for encapsulating and delivering the therapeutics.