Modulation of Shape and Size-Dependent Characteristics of Nanoparticles

Abstract

Background: Nanoparticles have considerably been studied for biomedical applications which include biosensing, bioimaging diagnostics, etc. but the effect of shape and size on the nanoparticles has received little attention. The execution of nanoparticles is affected by various factors such as size, shape, surface charge, etc. Objective: In this manuscript, the effects of nanoparticles size and shape on cellular uptake, biodistribution, and half-life of nanoparticles are discussed. The shape of nanoparticles affects the biodistribution, cellular uptake, adhesion strength, half-life circulation, and drug release kinetics and drug clearance. Methods and Results: The shape of the particles enhances the distribution ratio. Particles with a different shape such as spherical shape particles, improve oral drug bioavailability. Rod-like structure of particles showed more specific uptake and less nonspecific uptake in cells related to sphere particles. The size of the particles also affects the binding properties to the receptor and the enthalpic and entropic properties to control the adhesive strength in nanoparticles. Maximum in vitro cellular uptake showed a 10-60nm size range. Nanoparticles that are more than 100nm in size have the ability to penetrate through leaky vasculature into tumors. The size of the nanoparticles affects the biological fate and the large size particles are accumulated in the liver and spleen. Conclusion: The present manuscript specifically deals with the nanocarrier formulation such as cubosomes and hexasomes. The nanoparticles shape has an impact on hydrodynamics significantly and interfaces of vascular targeting. Due to the small particle size of the cubosomes nanoparticles, the cubic phase is more appropriate for the controlled release drug delivery system. It can be concluded from the findings of the literature survey that the size and shape of nanocarriers have a significant effect on pharmaceutical and biomedical adaptation.