ABSTRACT
During the last 15 years, revolutionary developments in the production of nanosized particles have triggered substantial expectations for their applications in medical diagnosis and drug-delivery. This chapter will present a comprehensive overview of different nanosystems (dendrimers, lipid-based nanoparticles, liposomes, inorganic nanoparticles) and their present and potential applications as drug delivery systems. Recent reports on the advantages of those systems in relation to correction of suboptimal pharmacokinetics and distribution and location of therapeutic agents to specific cells or tissues are discussed. A final discussion on safety concerns regarding their use as pharmaceuticals is also presented.
