Drug carriers are natural or synthetic devices used for the transportation and protection of active principles. These objects have the ability to enhance drug delivery, improving cellular uptake and bioavailability of drugs, avoiding degradation due to temperature and pH variations. Drug carriers are also a useful barrier to avoid fast drug loss during administration, providing a controlled and adjustable drug delivery to human tissues. However, the typical drawbacks of drug carriers are related to micrometric dimensions, and often not compatible with cells. Conventional processes for drug carrier production generally involve several steps of production, with low drug encapsulation efficiency, a poor control of particle size distribution, low stability and high solvent residue involved.
Novel processes have been developed over years, thanks to the great advancements in the area of supercritical fluids. The use of carbon dioxide as a solvent or co-solvent has almost eliminated the presence of the traditional solvent residue, as it can be separated in a fast manner by simply depressurizing the system. The use of carbon dioxide is particularly cheap and characterized by a low environmental impact since its supercritical conditions are reached at about 31°C and 73 bar. These relatively easy-to-reach conditions guaranteed a fast and accessible operating and scalable production. The use of supercritical fluids contributed to solving most problems related to the production of drug carriers, increasing the drug encapsulation efficiency, reducing the average toxicity, and obtaining nanometric dimensions.
Researchers have addressed their efforts to the field of drug delivery not only for the use of new biomaterials, but also for the proposal of new principles and techniques to support the production. The goal of this Research Topic is to give an overview of the most powerful and novel techniques that contributed to improving the conditions for drug carrier production.
We welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Drug delivery systems
• Processes for drug carrier production
• Supercritical fluid assisted techniques
• Liposomes, Niosomes and Polymersomes
• Nanoparticles
•Cellular uptakes
Keywords:
Drug Carriers; Drug Delivery; Solvent Residue; Processes; Nanoparticles
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
Drug carriers are natural or synthetic devices used for the transportation and protection of active principles. These objects have the ability to enhance drug delivery, improving cellular uptake and bioavailability of drugs, avoiding degradation due to temperature and pH variations. Drug carriers are also a useful barrier to avoid fast drug loss during administration, providing a controlled and adjustable drug delivery to human tissues. However, the typical drawbacks of drug carriers are related to micrometric dimensions, and often not compatible with cells. Conventional processes for drug carrier production generally involve several steps of production, with low drug encapsulation efficiency, a poor control of particle size distribution, low stability and high solvent residue involved.
Novel processes have been developed over years, thanks to the great advancements in the area of supercritical fluids. The use of carbon dioxide as a solvent or co-solvent has almost eliminated the presence of the traditional solvent residue, as it can be separated in a fast manner by simply depressurizing the system. The use of carbon dioxide is particularly cheap and characterized by a low environmental impact since its supercritical conditions are reached at about 31°C and 73 bar. These relatively easy-to-reach conditions guaranteed a fast and accessible operating and scalable production. The use of supercritical fluids contributed to solving most problems related to the production of drug carriers, increasing the drug encapsulation efficiency, reducing the average toxicity, and obtaining nanometric dimensions.
Researchers have addressed their efforts to the field of drug delivery not only for the use of new biomaterials, but also for the proposal of new principles and techniques to support the production. The goal of this Research Topic is to give an overview of the most powerful and novel techniques that contributed to improving the conditions for drug carrier production.
We welcome the submission of Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Drug delivery systems
• Processes for drug carrier production
• Supercritical fluid assisted techniques
• Liposomes, Niosomes and Polymersomes
• Nanoparticles
•Cellular uptakes
Keywords:
Drug Carriers; Drug Delivery; Solvent Residue; Processes; Nanoparticles
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.