Current Nanomaterials - Current Issue

The nanoparticle formulation technology is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming years, significantly shaping the pharmaceuticals market, nanomedicine domain, and healthcare systems. The success of employing nano crystallization strategies in industrial settings relies primarily on the technique's capacity to create active pharmaceutical ingredient nanoparticles with precise particle size, limited size variation, stability, consistency, large-scale feasibility, compatibility, and cost-effectiveness. Using nano-particles as a technological advancement has allowed for notable enhancements in various aspects. These include the substantial extension of product shelf lives, augmentation of intracellular delivery for hydrophobic molecules, and the optimization of specific therapeutics like anticancer agents, along with others. As the importance of Nano formulations emerges in the market, nanotechnology has transformed also in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment. Nanoparticles, ranging from 1 to 100 nm in size, offer unique advantages, including biocompatibility, decreased toxicity, improved stability, enhanced permeability and retention, and precise targeting, making them an effective option for cancer therapy. This comprehensive review article delves into the various categories of nano-formulations. A brief discussion on Nano medicine in Cancer therapy and different formulation strategies meticulously examining their far-reaching influence on both the pharmaceutical industry as well as research centers dedicated to Nano formulations.

Cancer ranks as the second leading cause of death globally. Cancer can be addressed through several primary methods, including radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, or a combination of these treatments. Conventional cancer therapies often fall short due to several critical issues: they lack specificity, leading to damage in both cancerous and healthy cells; exhibit high cytotoxicity, causing severe side effects; have a short half-life, necessitating frequent administration; suffer from poor solubility, reducing effectiveness; encounter multi-drug resistance, diminishing their efficacy; and struggle with the presence of stem-like cancer cells, which can cause recurrence and metastasis. The development of nanotechnology has brought about a revolutionary phase in cancer therapy, and nanocarriers have emerged as a game-changing method of delivering medications. This paper explores the groundbreaking developments in using nanocarriers as a cancer treatment tool. This also covers the various research published in the last few years, multiple patents filed, ongoing and completed clinical studies, and FDA-approved nanocarriers. Nanocarriers, a diverse group comprising liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, etc., present distinctive advantages in cancer therapy. These represent an improvement in cancer therapy tactics, including targeted drug delivery, controlled release kinetics, and the ability to overcome multidrug resistance mechanisms. The promise of these nanoscale vehicles in cancer is demonstrated by clinical achievements like those of Doxil, Abraxane, and Onivyde. These technologies will be improved by further research. Nanocarriers can effectively treat various cancers by the mechanism of active and passive targeting. The various applications of nanocarriers in diagnostic medicine, preventive medicine, and therapeutic medicine further improve their clinical applicability. Despite the vast amount of research being conducted in this area, several obstacles remain, including technological, biological, and regulatory challenges. Researchers are trying their best to find a way out of these difficulties. Further research on this topic will help to improve the clinical translation of nanocarriers.

Nanomaterials for medication delivery have attracted interest owing to their potential for on-target delivery to infected areas while sparing healthy tissue. The aim of the current review was to explore the factors that make niosomes a superior drug delivery system compared to other methods. The study was conducted using the databases such as PubMed, Elsevier, Springer and others in order to set up the required research articles based on the keyword as niosomes. The articles that were relevant to the topic and in English were included in the study. Niosomes differ from liposomes because they are non-ionic spherical surfactants with advantages such as they are less poisonous, less prohibitive to access, non–toxic and comparatively much more stable. Niosomes range from 20-1000 nm; however, they can be classified as nanoparticles or/and nanostructures. Another property attributed to niosomes is their ability to entrap and release both polar and non-polar active compounds with equal effectiveness. For a drug to work, it needs to reach the right place in the body and attach to its target. This allows the drug to have its intended effect. Niosomes can best be described as a potential drug carrier system because well-formulated niosomes can target drugs to specific locations of the body without much harm. This approach minimises the effects that may arise from the drug interacting with other sites or getting into the systemic circulation in the wrong manner. Hence, there is hope for the future advancement in drug delivery systems using niosomes, distinguishing it from conventional techniques. The potential to encapsulate and deliver hydrophilic as well as lipophilic drugs and the capacity of target delivery make them suitable for a number of therapeutic uses. Therefore, with advancement in the research, more extensive applications of niosomes can be visualized in the formulation of advanced drug delivery systems with lesser side effects.

Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) provides a protective shield for the human nervous system, facilitating essential biochemical processes while also acting as a strong defense mechanism against pathogens and harmful substances, including drugs. While this barrier protects the brain, it makes it difficult to deliver therapeutics to treat cerebral diseases such as ischemia and acute arterial thrombosis, both of which cause significant global mortality and morbidity. The urgent need for thrombolytic agents to treat cerebral ischemia emphasizes the importance of drugs that can efficiently penetrate the BBB. However, conventional thrombolytics have limitations due to low BBB permeability. To overcome this barrier, various nanoparticle-based targeting strategies have been developed. These nano-technological solutions provide advantages such as enhanced permeability, decreased toxicity risks, and increased bioavailability when compared to other drug delivery methods.