Protein nanoparticles: characterization and pharmaceutical application

The development of protein-based formulations is a particular hotspot for modern research. Proteins are characterized by peculiar properties such as wide availability, cost-effectiveness, environmental tolerance, high biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high drug binding capacity, and for human use, benefit from faster regulatory approval processes. As a result, proteins have been investigated as excellent natural building blocks for the development of drug delivery systems in order to modulate the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of various active compounds. Moreover, protein-based nanoparticles can have their surfaces modified through the conjugation/decoration of several ligands. This approach promotes the targeting of specific tissues, decreasing the side effects of the entrapped drugs.

Despite the encouraging results obtained by protein-based drug delivery systems, significant limitations to their use in pharmaceutical and medical applications still persist, most of them being related to the manufacturing procedures, the immunogenicity, and also their degradation products. In addition, the heterogeneous mixture of different molecular weights of proteins normally promotes significant batch-to-batch variation. Due to this, the use of recombinant proteins through expensive engineering techniques has been recently employed. Therefore, further research and efforts are required to address these crucial issues in order to maximize the use of proteins for pharmaceutical applications at the lowest plausible cost.

The aim of this Research Topic is to provide a resource of recent experimental investigations related to the characterization of innovative protein nanoparticles as drug carriers and their pharmaceutical applications, but also the development of complex nano-systems obtained through the association of proteins to different biomaterials such as (phospho)lipids/polymers/polysaccharides.

Original research and review articles assessing the potential (i.e synthesis, efficacy studies) and limitations ( i.e. toxicity, poor stability) of new protein-based nanoformulations for drug delivery purposes are welcome.

Keywords: Proteins, nanoparticles, drug delivery, characterization, pharmaceutical application

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