Recent Approaches of Metal Oxide-Based Nanomaterials in Drug Delivery Systems (DDS)

Due to its rapidly expanding list of benefits and applications, nanotechnology has transformed many aspects of science. It has become a popular area of study over the last two to three decades, making significant advances across various scientific fields, with drug delivery being one of the main focus areas. Recently, nanomedicine has emerged as a burgeoning field with great potential for improving the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. Advanced medical fields aim to address several challenges and limitations of conventional medicine, including poor bioavailability, limited target specificity, systemic and organ toxicity, etc. The therapeutic potential of nanoparticles largely stems from their extremely small dimensions and high surface area, which allow them to interact efficiently with biological systems, penetrate cellular barriers, and access intracellular targets, including the cell nucleus. Owing to these advantages, nanoparticle-assisted drug delivery has emerged as a supportive and transformative technology with the capacity to bring significant innovations to modern medicine. In recent years, metal oxide-based nanomaterials have attracted considerable attention as a novel category of drug delivery carriers due to their distinctive physicochemical characteristics, including enhanced surface area, high surface-to-volume ratio, tunable particle size, porous architecture, and robust mechanical and chemical stability. These features make metal oxide nanoparticles particularly suitable for targeted drug delivery applications. Conjugation of therapeutic agents with such nanocarriers markedly enhances drug bioavailability, prolongs systemic circulation, and improves delivery efficiency. Advances in synthesis strategies and surface modification techniques have further refined their physicochemical attributes, resulting in improved stability, higher drug-loading capacity, and better targeting performance. Through controlled and site-specific release of drugs, these nanocarriers can enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimizing off-target effects and helping to circumvent drug resistance. Nevertheless, despite their considerable promise, challenges related to long-term safety, in vivo behaviour, and biodegradability remain critical issues that require thorough investigation before widespread clinical translation. Current trends focus on hybrid nanostructure development and green synthesis methods to enhance safety and clinical viability. This chapter summarises recent advances, approaches, applications, and prospects of metal oxide-based nanomaterials in drug delivery systems.