Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery: General Characteristics

The escalating pace of disease transmission has prompted scientists to embark on innovative approaches to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of modern drugs. Several barriers present in the human body limit the overall efficiency of directly administrated therapeutics. The heterogeneous nature of these barriers across patient populations presents another crucial obstacle to designing a universal solution. The concept of precision therapeutics, which involves tailoring interventions based on the individual patient's pathology, has gained considerable attention but lacks practical affordability on a global scale. Nanomaterials have gained significant attention as potential drug delivery systems owing to their exceptional properties, including high drug loading capacity and ease of administration. However, the administration of any foreign materials, including nanomaterials, may activate the inherent immune response to clear out them. To bypass the defence system and deliver drug molecules at specific target sites, nanomaterials with specific physicochemical properties have been utilised. An in-depth understanding of physicochemical characteristics of nanomaterials is imperative for developing effective nanocarriers capable of surmounting both physical and biological hurdles, ultimately leading to enhanced therapeutic outcomes. The present chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the most frequently encountered barriers in utilizing nanomaterials as drug carriers, ranging from physical to biological hindrances. The chapter elucidates how manipulating the physicochemical attributes of nanocarriers can serve as a powerful tool to circumvent these barriers, leading to improved drug delivery efficacy. Finally, the future prospects of employing nanocarriers in drug delivery applications are discussed.