Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems and Oral Bioavailability

Nanoparticle drug delivery systems have emerged as a transformative approach to enhance the oral bioavailability of therapeutic agents. By reducing particle size to the nanoscale, these systems increase surface area and improve dissolution rates of poorly soluble drugs. Surface engineering of nanoparticles through coatings or ligand attachment can protect cargos from harsh gastric conditions and promote uptake across the intestinal epithelium. Furthermore, stimuli-responsive designs enable site-specific release, exploiting pH gradients or enzymatic triggers to liberate payloads at their target sites. Collectively, these strategies address critical barriers in oral administration, including low solubility, premature degradation and limited mucosal transport. Advances in formulation science have also highlighted the role of excipients, such as surfactants and polymers, in stabilising nanoparticle suspensions and modulating their interaction with epithelial and immune cells. As a result, nanoparticle platforms now support a broad spectrum of molecules, from small-molecule oncology agents to peptide therapeutics, with the potential to shift paradigms in patient convenience and compliance.

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Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems and Oral Bioavailability publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanoparticle drug delivery systems and oral bioavailability across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Nanoparticle drug delivery system: A sub-micrometre carrier engineered to encapsulate or adsorb therapeutics, improving solubility, stability and targeted delivery.

Oral bioavailability: The fraction of an orally administered dose that reaches systemic circulation in an active form.

PEGylation: Conjugation of polyethylene glycol chains to a nanoparticle surface to increase circulation time and reduce immunogenicity.

Chitosan: A biocompatible polysaccharide derived from chitin, widely used for its mucoadhesive and permeation-enhancing properties in oral formulations.

Janus nanoparticles: Dual-compartment particles with distinct surface chemistries, enabling co-delivery of incompatible payloads or sequential release profiles.

pH-responsive: A design feature of nanoparticles that alters their structure or cargo release rate in response to pH changes along the gastrointestinal tract.

References

1. Bioavailability Enhancement Techniques for Poorly Aqueous Soluble Drugs and Therapeutics. Biomedicines (2022).
2. pH-sensitive dual drug loaded janus nanoparticles by oral delivery for multimodal analgesia. Journal of Nanobiotechnology (2021).
3. Novel Therapeutic Approach in PEGylated Chitosan Nanoparticles of Apigenin for the Treatment of Cancer via Oral Nanomedicine. Polymers (2022).