Lipid Nanoparticles as Carriers for Bioactive Delivery

Nanotechnology has made a great impact on the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, food, and cosmetics industries. More than 40% of the approved drugs are lipophilic and have poor solubility. This is the major rate-limiting step that influences the release profile and bioavailability of drugs. Several approaches have been reported to administer lipophilic drugs with improved solubility and bioavailability. Nanotechnology plays a crucial role in the targeted delivery of poorly soluble drugs. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems can be classified as solid lipid nanoparticulate drug delivery systems, emulsion-based nanodrug delivery systems, vesicular drug delivery systems, etc. Nanotechnology presents a new frontier in research and development to conquer the limitations coupled with the conventional drug delivery systems through the formation of specific functionalized particles. This review presents a bird's eye view on various aspects of lipid nanoparticles as carriers of bioactive molecules that is, synthesis, characterization, advantage, disadvantage, toxicity, and application in the medical field. Update on recent development in terms of patents and clinical trials of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructure lipid carriers (NLCs) have also been discussed in this article.

Automated summary

Nanotechnology has significantly impacted industries like pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, food, and cosmetics, especially in improving the solubility and bioavailability of lipophilic drugs. Various nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems, such as solid lipid nanoparticulate drug delivery systems and emulsion-based nanodrug delivery systems, play crucial roles in the targeted delivery of poorly soluble drugs. This review provides a comprehensive overview of lipid nanoparticles as carriers of bioactive molecules, covering aspects like synthesis, characterization, advantages, disadvantages, toxicity, and applications in the medical field. Recent developments in patents and clinical trials related to solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructure lipid carriers (NLCs) are also discussed.