title: Sustained-release from nanocarriers: a review.
abstract: Nanocarriers have been explored for delivering drugs and other bioactive molecules for well over 35years. Since the introduction of Doxil®, a nanoliposomal delivery system for the cancer drug doxorubicin, several products have been approved worldwide. The majority of these products focus on cancer chemotherapy, and utilize the size advantage of nanocarriers to obtain a favourable distribution of the drug carrier in the human body. In general, such carriers do not sustain drug release over more than a few days at best. In this review, we explore the reasons for this, and present an overview of successful research that is capable of generating sustained-release products in non-cancer applications. A variety of nanocarriers have been studied, and their advantages and shortcomings are highlighted in this review. The achievement of sustained release of bioactive molecules opens new doors in nanotherapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Blk N4.1, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Jayaganesh V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Natarajan
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Blk N4.1, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Chandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nugraha
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Blk N4.1, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Xu Wen
authors.initials: XW
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Nanyang Technological University, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Blk N4.1, Nanyang Avenue, Singapore 639798. Electronic address: assubbu@ntu.edu.sg.
authors.forename: Subbu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Venkatraman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry*; D065546:Drug Liberation; D006801:Humans; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008081:Liposomes; D008823:Micelles; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D003692:Delayed-Action Preparations; D004337:Drug Carriers; D008081:Liposomes; D008823:Micelles
keywords: Drug delivery; Localized drug release; Nanocarriers; Sustained drug release; Targeting