SMART NANOCARRIERS FOR TARGETED DRUG DELIVERY ENHANCING THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY AND REDUCING SYSTEMIC TOXICITY

Abstract

The invention of smart nanocarriers has become a paradigm to enhancing the accuracy and effectiveness of the drug delivery system, particularly in the cure of cancer. The paper discusses three different smart examples of nanocarriers including pH-sensitive liposomes, nanoparticle functionalized with folate, and redox-responsive polymers. Their efficiency at encapsulation of a drug, drug release profiles, efficiency of cellular uptake, cytotoxicity, and their targeting ability have been evaluated and the results compare comprehensively their likelihood of targeted drug delivery. These findings reveal that folate-functionalized nanoparticles provide the greatest cellular uptake and targeting capabilities, whereas, pH-sensitive liposomes provide the greatest drug release in acidic conditions that usually exists in tumor tissue. On the other hand, redox-responsive polymers are highly effective when it comes to releasing the drugs upon exposure to high levels of glutathione, which is the condition of the cancerous cells. The paper also includes the benefits of these nanocarriers in improving the therapeutic efficacies with minimal systemic toxicity which have considerable potential in therapeutics of cancers in the future. Moreover, the results indicate that such nanocarriers may soon become the keystone of personalized medicine, especially in the context of its integration with diagnostic imaging (theranostics), to allow a more specific and targeted course of action