Polymeric Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery.

The recent emergence of nanomedicine has revolutionized the therapeutic landscape and necessitated the creation of more sophisticated drug delivery systems. Polymeric nanoparticles sit at the forefront of numerous promising drug delivery designs, due to their unmatched control over physiochemical properties such as size, shape, architecture, charge, and surface functionality. Furthermore, polymeric nanoparticles have the ability to navigate various biological barriers to precisely target specific sites within the body, encapsulate a diverse range of therapeutic cargo and efficiently release this cargo in response to internal and external stimuli. However, despite these remarkable advantages, the presence of polymeric nanoparticles in wider clinical application is minimal. This review will provide a comprehensive understanding of polymeric nanoparticles as drug delivery vehicles. The biological barriers affecting drug delivery will be outlined first, followed by a comprehensive description of the various nanoparticle designs and preparation methods, beginning with the polymers on which they are based. The review will meticulously explore the current performance of polymeric nanoparticles against a myriad of diseases including cancer, viral and bacterial infections, before finally evaluating the advantages and crucial challenges that will determine their wider clinical potential in the decades to come.

Multicompartment Polymeric Nanocarriers for Biomedical Applications.

Multicompartment polymeric nanocarriers which mimic the compartmentalized architecture of living cells have received considerable research attention in the biomedical field. The advancement of synthetic polymeric chemistry has allowed multicompartment polymeric nanocarriers to be tailored for biomedical applications such as drug delivery, encapsulated catalysis, and artificial cellular mimics. In this review, polymer-based multicompartment nanocarriers (multicompartment micelles, multicompartment polymersomes, and capsosomes) have been discussed. This review focuses on multicompartment systems applied to biomedical applications over the last ten years. The synthetic procedures and structural properties that impact the specific application are also highlighted.