Recent Advances in Micro- and Nano-Drug Delivery Systems Based on Natural and Synthetic Biomaterials

Abstract

Polymeric drug delivery technology, which allows for medicinal ingredients to enter a cell more easily, has advanced considerably in recent decades. Innovative medication delivery strategies use biodegradable and bio-reducible polymers, and progress in the field has been accelerated by future possible research applications. Natural polymers utilized in polymeric drug delivery systems include arginine, chitosan, dextrin, polysaccharides, poly(glycolic acid), poly(lactic acid), and hyaluronic acid. Additionally, poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate), poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide), poly(ethylenimine), dendritic polymers, biodegradable polymers, and bioabsorbable polymers as well as biomimetic and bio-related polymeric systems and drug-free macromolecular therapies have been employed in polymeric drug delivery. Different synthetic and natural biomaterials are in the clinical phase to mitigate different diseases. Drug delivery methods using natural and synthetic polymers are becoming increasingly common in the pharmaceutical industry, with biocompatible and bio-related copolymers and dendrimers having helped cure cancer as drug delivery systems. This review discusses all the above components and how, by combining synthetic and biological approaches, micro- and nano-drug delivery systems can result in revolutionary polymeric drug and gene delivery devices.

Synthesis of Thermoresponsive Chitosan-graft-Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Hybrid Copolymer and Its Complexation with DNA

“…Gene therapy has gained popularity among scientists in recent decades as an alternative therapeutic strategy due to its numerous advantages over standard treatment methods [1][2][3]. The efficient transport of nucleic acids within the cells is heavily dependent on the deployment of a gene vector with the appropriate characteristics [4].…”

Poly(2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)-Grafted Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Micelles Co-Loaded with Quercetin and DNA

“…Natural and synthetic polymers are promising platforms for the design of a great variety of delivery systems for biologically active (macro)molecules [ 1 , 2 ]. The progress in the development of controlled polymer synthesis and modification techniques has opened the possibility for the precise design and preparation of biocompatible and biodegradable polymer-based nanocarriers with finely tuned composition, functionality, and properties intended for different targeted therapies [ 3 , 4 , 5 ].…”

Biomaterials for Protein Delivery: Opportunities and Challenges to Clinical Translation

“…Both synthetic and natural biomaterials can be used for protein delivery systems. Natural biomaterials, including chitosan, alginate, hyaluronic acid, collagen, keratin, elastin, genipin, silica, polysaccharides, polyphenols, and silk, are mostly non-toxic to humans due to their similarities with preexisting bodily molecules, cell-to-cell interactions, and structural support [35][36][37][38][39][40][41]. Therefore, these materials are often bioactive, providing adhesion regions for the surrounding cells and often degrading locally via a form of controlled release [42].…”