How Lipid Cores Affect Lipid Nanoparticles as Drug and Gene Delivery Systems

Abstract

Abstract In the last decade, a great many types of nanoparticles have been used for delivering drugs, genetic materials and used as diagnostic agents, and some of these have reached the market. Among those used for drug and gene delivery, lipid-based nanoparticles are receiving great attention in the literature, especially solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC). These lipid nanoparticles (LN) are typically described as having a solid core coated with surfactant molecules. They have several advantages over other nanoparticles, including protection of drugs from chemical degradation, protection of genetic material against enzymatic degradation, high stability (beyond 3 years), and they are easy to scale up and sterilize. They benefit from the combined advantages of liposomes and emulsions, while minimizing their drawbacks. However, their inner structures are not fully understood, and knowledge about their internal cores can help to better tailor their ability to carry out specific roles. In this chapter, we focus on the physicochemical aspects of LN (SLN and NLC) cores and how their inner structures influence their role as drug and gene delivery systems.