Advancement of Biomimetic Nanoparticles for Targeted Drug Delivery

Abstract

There has been an increasing requirement for more efficient and less iatrogenic therapies for drug delivery, encouraging researches to develop new vectors that ensure targeted delivery of drugs and other therapeutic agents in medicine. Traditional synthetic drug vectors which include polymer and lipid particles are not preferred for clinical applications due to their high cytotoxicity, greater immunogenicity and low cell membrane penetrability. On the other hand, natural particulates ranging from pathogens to mammalian cells are specially optimized forin vivofunctions and possess features desirable for drug delivery vectors. Biomimetics involves exploiting biological organisms, cells and molecules or deriving inspiration from them. The Biomimetic Nanoparticles have ushered a new generation of drug carriers, attracting researchers because of their excellent biocompatibility, biodistribution, low chances of recognition and removal by the immune system. Their ability to mimic the bio-structure and function of the biological system makes them reliable drug delivery vectors especially for disease targeting. The advanced biotechnology tools used for engineering synthetic and natural derived nano-systems along with better understanding of biological systems, have enabled researchers to apply these ideas to the delivery of drugs, small interfering RNA, proteins and other therapeutic agents. This review summarizes recent advances in biomimetic nanoparticles used for targeted drug delivery in medicine, obtained by processing synthetic materials using biomimetics. The challenges of biomimetic delivery systems and future directions are also discussed and proposed herein.