Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems for Enhanced Bioavailability

Nanoparticle drug delivery systems encompass a versatile suite of carriers engineered to improve the absorption, distribution and therapeutic impact of active pharmaceutical ingredients. By encapsulating drugs within nanoscale vehicles—such as polymeric micelles, liposomes, solid lipid nanoparticles and nanoemulsions—these systems overcome intrinsic challenges of poor water solubility, rapid metabolism and off-target distribution. Surface modification with ligands or polymers enables active targeting to specific cell types or tissues, while controlled-release designs ensure sustained drug exposure. Lipid-based carriers enhance lymphatic uptake and bypass first-pass metabolism, and polymeric constructs can protect labile agents from enzymatic degradation. Co-delivery strategies allow simultaneous transport of synergistic compounds or resistance-modifying agents. Collectively, such technologies have been applied to improve oral bioavailability of phytochemicals, enhance anticancer efficacy, stabilise enzyme therapeutics and reduce systemic toxicity. The global significance of nanoparticle platforms is reflected in their translation to clinical trials and commercial formulations, offering new opportunities in oncology, metabolic disorders and infectious diseases. Integration of imaging moieties further paves the way for theranostic applications. Continued optimisation of particle size, surface charge and composition promises to refine targeting precision and expand the clinical utility of these nanomedicines.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A seminal study developed nanosized alkaline enzymosomes for the co-encapsulation of uricase and catalase within lipid vesicles buffered in bicine. By creating a favourable microenvironment inside the vesicles, the formulation achieved markedly improved thermal, acid-base and proteolytic stability, along with enhanced kinetic performance in vitro. In animal models of hyperuricaemia, the enzymosomes demonstrated superior uric acid-lowering efficacy compared with free enzymes. This work established a blueprint for multi-enzyme loading in a single nanoparticle and highlighted the role of microenvironment optimisation in improving therapeutic outcomes.

Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems for Enhanced Bioavailability publication trend

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

Technical terms

Nanoparticle: A particle with dimensions below 1000 nm used to transport and protect therapeutic agents.

Bioavailability: The proportion of an administered dose that reaches systemic circulation in an active form.

Polymeric micelle: A self-assembling nanostructure formed by amphiphilic block copolymers for drug encapsulation.

Liposome: A vesicle composed of one or more phospholipid bilayers, capable of carrying hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs.

Entrapment efficiency: The percentage of drug successfully encapsulated within a carrier relative to the initial amount used.

Polydispersity index (PDI): A measure of the size distribution homogeneity within a nanoparticle population.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp): A cell membrane efflux transporter that can reduce intracellular drug concentration and contribute to resistance.

References

1. Uricase alkaline enzymosomes with enhanced stabilities and anti-hyperuricemia effects induced by favorable microenvironmental changes. Scientific Reports (2016).
2. Development and In Vitro Evaluation of 2-Methoxyestradiol Loaded Polymeric Micelles for Enhancing Anticancer Activities in Prostate Cancer. Polymers (2021).
3. Co-Delivery of Berberine Chloride and Tariquidar in Nanoliposomes Enhanced Intracellular Berberine Chloride in a Doxorubicin-Resistant K562 Cell Line Due to P-gp Overexpression. Pharmaceutics (2021).
4. Apamin-Conjugated Alendronate Sodium Nanocomplex for Management of Pancreatic Cancer. Pharmaceuticals (2021).