Biodegradable Nanoparticles and Their In Vivo Fate

Abstract

Biodegradable nanoparticles (BNPs) are seeking augmented attention for their ability to serve as a carrier for site-specific delivery of drugs, biomolecules, proteins and peptides in the body. They offer enhanced biocompatibility, better drug encapsulation and sustained release profile of a great number of drugs and biomolecules to be used in a variety of applications in nanomedicine. The use of BNPs for controlled drug delivery has shown significant therapeutic potential. Concurrently, targeted delivery technologies are becoming an increasingly important area of scientific investigation. The fate of BNPs is decided by virtue of their physiochemical properties in biological medium. Another important area which is gaining attention of researchers is the behaviour of BNPs in biological milieu. In the present chapter, efforts are made to give the readers a comprehensive outlook of the topic covering the following major points: (1) brief introduction to BNPs; (2) synthesis methodologies of BNPs; (3) characterisation of BNPs; (4) BNPs for drug delivery; (5) drug release mechanisms from BNPs; (6) targeted drug delivery using BNPs; (7) biological barriers encountered by BNPs; and (8) in vivo fate of BNPs.

Docetaxel-loaded PLGA and PLGA-PEG nanoparticles for intravenous application: pharmacokinetics and biodistribution profile

“…Average size is an important determinant of the fate and biodistribution of particles. 63 However, it is generally considered that particles with an average size of #10 nm are filtered in the kidneys. 30,64 Therefore, the difference in NP size is not considered to be responsible for the different biodistribution behaviors between PLGA and PLGA-PEG NPs.…”

Fate of Biodegradable Engineered Nanoparticles Used in Veterinary Medicine as Delivery Systems from a One Health Perspective

“…As a result of these exposures, pbENPs biotransform to materials that could detrimentally impact the health of the consumer of livestock products (i.e., the human) or the environment. In animals, as in humans, the biological barriers encountered by pbENPs in vivo are diverse, including elimination by the mononuclear phagocyte system, blood rheology and fluid dynamics of blood flow, cell membrane permeability and consequent endosomal accumulation, and removal via drug efflux pumps [20,21]. In this framework, extravasation of pbENPs is a factor that needs to be assessed and understood not only to ensure the safety of animals, but also to establish to what extent and structure pbENPs arrive in the environment, and how such (nano)materials interact with non-target species, including humans.…”

Biomimetic nanoparticle technology for cardiovascular disease detection and treatment

“…85 Beyond their targeting capabilities, nanoparticles are also adept at loading payloads with varying properties, and this can be done by encapsulation within the nanomaterial matrix or by surface attachment. 86,87 Depending on the specific platform, it is even possible to load both hydrophilic and hydrophobic payloads within the same nanocarrier. 88 By modulating the material properties, sophisticated time-dependent release strategies can be established.…”