ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a concise overview of the different types of micro- and nanoparticulate delivery systems used for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes. Emphasis will be placed on the most important findings in terms of clinical or preclinical assessments of recently developed nanomedicines. The main solid lipid NPs (SLNs) advantages as drug delivery systems lie in their biodegradability and biocompatibility altogether with the physical protection of entrapped drug against environmental attacks and the targeted release in the site of action. Self-assembled nanoparticulate systems include a wide variety of spontaneously-organized molecules or polymers in aqueous media, forming supramolecular structures. Preclinical studies showed an enhanced anti-arthritic activity of the developed NPs administered intravenously when compared to tacrolimus solution or suspension administered intravenously and orally, respectively. Importantly, tacrolimus-albumin NPs showed targetability to inflamed joints which could be explained by the increased permeability of the blood–joint barrier in arthritic animals.
