Biomedical Applications of Multifunctional Polymeric Nanocarriers: A Review of Current Literature

• Published in: International journal of nanomedicine Vol. 15; pp. 8673 - 8696
• Main Authors: Karabasz, Alicja, Bzowska, Monika, Szczepanowicz, Krzysztof
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Dove; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Administration, Topical; Adsorption; Animals; anti-cancer; Antineoplastic Agents - administration & dosage; Bioavailability; Biocompatibility; biomedical application; Biomedical engineering; cancer immunotherapy; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Clinical trials; Contrast agents; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease; Drug Carriers - administration & dosage; Drug Carriers - chemistry; Drug delivery systems; Drug Delivery Systems - methods; Drugs; FDA approval; Health aspects; Humans; Immunotherapy; lifestyle diseases - diabetes; Methods; modern vaccines; Nanomaterials; Nanomedicine - methods; Nanoparticles; Nanostructures - administration & dosage; Nanostructures - chemistry; Peptides; Permeability; Pharmacokinetics; polymeric nanocarriers; Polymers; Polymers - chemistry; Proteins; Regenerative medicine; Regenerative Medicine - methods; Review; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Tumors; Vaccines; Vehicles; Poland; lifestyle diseases – diabetes; polymeric nanocarriers; modern vaccines; regenerative medicine; cancer immunotherapy; biomedical application; anti-cancer
• ISSN: 1178-2013; 1176-9114; 1178-2013
• DOI: 10.2147/IJN.S231477

Polymeric nanomaterials have become a prominent area of research in the field of drug delivery. Their application in nanomedicine can improve bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and, therefore, the effectiveness of various therapeutics or contrast agents. There are many studies for developing new polymeric nanocarriers; however, their clinical application is somewhat limited. In this review, we present new complex and multifunctional polymeric nanocarriers as promising and innovative diagnostic or therapeutic systems. Their multifunctionality, resulting from the unique chemical and biological properties of the polymers used, ensures better delivery, and a controlled, sequential release of many different therapeutics to the diseased tissue. We present a brief introduction of the classical formulation techniques and describe examples of multifunctional nanocarriers, whose biological assessment has been carried out at least in vitro. Most of them, however, also underwent evaluation in vivo on animal models. Selected polymeric nanocarriers were grouped depending on their medical application: anti-cancer drug nanocarriers, nanomaterials delivering compounds for cancer immunotherapy or regenerative medicine, components of vaccines nanomaterials used for topical application, and lifestyle diseases, ie, diabetes.