title: Drug nanosuspensions: a ZIP tool between traditional and innovative pharmaceutical formulations.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A nanosuspension or nanocrystal suspension is a versatile formulation combining conventional and innovative features. It comprises 100% pure drug nanoparticles with sizes in the nano-scale range, generally stabilized by surfactants or polymers. Nanosuspensions are usually obtained in liquid media with bottom-up and top-down methods or by their combination. They have been designed to enhance the solubility, the dissolution rate and the bioavailability of drugs via various administration routes. Due to their small sizes, nanosuspensions can be also considered a drug delivery nanotechnology for the preparation of nanomedicine products.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review focuses on the state of the art of the nanocrystal-based formulation. It describes theory characteristics, design parameters, preparation methods, stability issues, as well as specific in vivo applications. Innovative strategies proposed to obtain nanomedicine formulation using nanocrystals are also reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many drug nanodelivery systems have been developed to increase the bioavailability of drugs and to decrease adverse side effects, but few can be industrially manufactured. Nanocrystals can close this gap by combining traditional and innovative drug formulations. Indeed, they can be used in many pharmaceutical dosage forms as such, or developed as new nano-scaled products. Engineered surface nanocrystals have recently been proposed as a dual strategy for stability enhancement and targeting delivery of nanocrystals.
authors.affiliation: a 1 University of Torino, Department of Drug Science and Technology , Via Pietro Giuria 9, 10125, Torino, Italy.|b 2 Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino , Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Leone
authors.affiliation: c 3 University of Torino, Department of Drug Science and Technology , Via Pietro Giuria 9, 10125, Torino, Italy +011 6707686 ; roberta.cavalli@unito.it.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cavalli
mesh_terms: D001682:Biological Availability; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D004355:Drug Stability; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D012995:Solubility; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D013535:Suspensions
chemical_list: D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D013535:Suspensions
keywords: bioavailability; drug delivery; nanomedicine; nanosuspensions, pure drug nanocrystals; solubility enhancement