ABSTRACT
Nanomedicine can be defined as the design of diagnostic and/or therapeutic devices on the nanoscale [7], the purpose being to improve transport and delivery of active species within biological systems for the treatment, prevention, and diagnosis of disease [8]. Transport and delivery processes are strongly affected by the physicochemical attributes of the nanocarrier devices, including their size, shape, surface charge, and chemical
characteristics. Therefore, the nanostructures used in nanomedicine need to be prepared with a high degree of uniformity, and their physical and chemical properties controlled. Nanoparticles can be manufactured from various materials [9], the most common being polymers [10], lipids [11], and metals [12]. Although inorganic nanoparticles offer several advantages due to their unique properties in imaging, therapeutics, and fabrication processes, they are also limited by their toxicity, degradation properties, and rapid elimination when used for medical purposes [13]. Instead, polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) have gained traction as the nanoparticles of choice in therapeutic or diagnostic systems. 5.1.2 Materials for PNPsPNPs are being developed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and infectious diseases. In nanomedicine, polymeric biodegradable nanoparticles are frequently used to improve the therapeutic index of various water soluble/insoluble drugs and bioactive molecules by improving their bioavailability, solubility in physiological environments, and retention time [14]. PNPs act as excellent drug carriers due to their tuneable characteristics, small size (permitting entrapment in tissues and dissolution), and ability to be attached to drug molecules or other active agents [15]. PNPs can be synthesised to overcome common difficulties encountered in traditional drug design, such as poor absorption, short half-life in vivo due to elevated clearance, and low specificity, and undesirable side effects can be eliminated or reduced because PNPs deeply penetrate the tissue by crossing capillary walls and being taken up by the target cells [16].
