NANOCARRIERS AS DELIVERY SYSTEMS FOR THERAPEUTICS AGENTS

Nanotechnology is emerging as a field in pharmacy and medicine that is expected to elicit significant therapeutic benefits especially in the field of drug targeting. The development of effective nanocarriers capable of carrying therapeutic agents specifically and safely to a desired site of action is one of the most challenging tasks facing drug formulation researchers. Serious research attempts had been conducted to reformulate and add new dimensions to the existing blockbuster therapeutic agents to achieve and maintain therapeutic breakthroughs. Integration of nanocarriers therapeutic agent delivery technologies in pre-formulation work accelerate the development of new therapeutic moieties and help in the reduction of attrition of new molecular entities caused by undesirable biopharmaceutical and pharmacokinetic properties. Careful modification of physicochemical properties of nanocarriers provides improved control over the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the encapsulated therapeutic agents relative to free drugs that would typically lead to a superior therapeutic index of the encapsulated agent. Nanocarriers vary from biological substances such as albumins, proteins, peptides, and phospholipid liposomes, to chemical substances such as bio-degradable hydrogels, dendrimers, nanoemulsions, silicon or carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, nanoshells, and magnetic nanocarriers.