Current Drug Delivery (Volume 23 - Issue 4)

6D Printing and the Future of Personalized Medicine: A New Frontier in Drug Delivery

2026-05-04

Novel Drug Delivery Systems Approved by USFDA from 2019 to 2023: A Comprehensive Review

2026-05-04

In recent years, tremendous progress in the field of novel drug delivery systems (NDDS), which has prompted the creation of new strategies to enhance treatment results and patient compliance. The goal of this comprehensive review is to provide a summary of the NDDS that the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved from 2019 to 2023. Various databases, including PubMed, Scopus, USFDA, and patent websites were utilized to gather relevant information. The selected NDDSs were categorized based on their delivery route, such as oral, injectable, transdermal, pulmonary, nasal, ocular, and implantable. For each delivery route, the review provides a detailed analysis of the approved NDDSs, including their mechanisms of action, advantages, limitations, and clinical applications. Additionally, the review discusses the challenges faced during the development and commercialization of these systems, as well as the prospects and potential areas of improvement. The findings of this comprehensive review demonstrate the remarkable progress made in the field of NDDSs, with the USFDA approving several innovative technologies in recent years. The approved NDDSs have shown promising results in enhancing drug stability, bioavailability, and controlled release, leading to improved therapeutic outcomes and patient convenience. In conclusion, this comprehensive review provides a valuable resource for researchers, healthcare professionals, and pharmaceutical industries, offering insights into the latest advancements in NDDSs approved by the US FDA. The knowledge gained from this review can guide future research endeavors, foster innovation, and contribute to developing more effective and patient-friendly NDDS strategies.

Lactoferrin-Conjugated Nanocarriers for Transformative Strategies in Cancer Management: New Insights on Breast Cancer Therapy

2026-05-04

Cancer represents a diverse and complex spectrum of diseases characterized by the abnormal growth and proliferation of cells, establishing a formidable global health challenge. Within the array of diverse cancers, breast cancer arises as one of the primary contributors to cancer-related fatalities in females. Breast cysts, thickenings, alterations in breast size or form, etc., are all prevalent and well-known signs of breast cancer. Despite remarkable progression in cancer research and the abundance of potent drugs, the effectiveness of conventional therapy is still hindered by various complications. In this avenue, nanocarriers present considerable promise for delivering therapeutics to cancerous cells, however, still numerous challenges persist in achieving successful targeted drug delivery and localization. Recent progress has emphasized the utilization of ligand-functionalized nanocarriers to enhance the delivery at target tissues and improve uptake by cancer cells. This approach contributes to increased accuracy and efficacy, which ultimately leads to enhanced patient outcomes. Lactoferrin, a multifunctional glycoprotein, is currently receiving significant attention as a promising ligand for targeted drug delivery in cancerous cells, especially breast cancer cells. This review provides new insight into ligand-targeted therapy, emphasizing the key benefits and notable features of utilizing lactoferrin as a targeting ligand for delivering drug-loaded nanocarriers to tumor sites.

Optimizing Transdermal Drug Delivery with Novasome Nanocarriers: A Quality by Design (QbD) Framework

2026-05-04

A revolutionary encapsulation-based drug delivery technique called novasome technology outperforms conventional liposome systems in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. It is comprised of free fatty acid, cholesterol, and surfactant, which combine to yield better vesicle properties for medication administration. Numerous research endeavors have examined the ideal blend of surfactant types, free fatty acids, and their proportions, along with the formulation elements that might substantially impact the vesicle properties. It has been shown that novasome technology may be used to deliver various drugs, such as vaccines, niflumic acid, zolmitriptan, and terconazole. To develop the most effective novasomal formulations with significant drug loading and nano-metric form, it is important to find the appropriate ratio between core components along with critical manufacturing process determinants. Understanding the interplay between these factors requires applying Quality by Design (QBD) in combination with Design of Experiments (DoE). These may be applied for both scale-up and lab-scale applications. This manuscript includes a detailed view of novasomes and the involvement of QBD.

Spray-Dried Inhalable Favipiravir Dry Powder Formulation for Influenza Therapy: Preparation and In vivo Evaluation

2026-05-04

Background: Introduction: Influenza, a seasonal infectious disease, has consistently posed a formidable challenge to global health in recent years. Favipiravir, an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor, serves as an anti-influenza medication, currently administered solely in oral form for clinical use. However, achieving an effective therapeutic outcome often necessitates high oral doses, which can be accompanied by adverse effects and suboptimal patient adherence.

Objective: To enhance favipiravir delivery efficiency and potentially mitigate dosage-related side effects, this study aimed to formulate favipiravir as a dry powder for pulmonary inhalation, facilitating direct targeting of lung tissue.

Methods: Employing L-leucine as a carrier, favipiravir was prepared as an inhalable dry powder through the spray-drying technique. A 3x3 full-factorial design approach was adopted to optimize the formulation. The optimized spray-dried powder underwent comprehensive characterization, including assessments of its morphology, crystallinity, flowability, and aerodynamic particle size distribution. The therapeutic efficacy of the powder was evaluated in a mouse model infected with the H1N1 influenza virus.

Results: The formulated powder demonstrated good aerosol properties, rendering it suitable for inhalation delivery. Its therapeutic efficacy was demonstrated in the mouse model, where it exhibited marked protective effects against the virus in vivo after 5 days of treatment. Notably, the inhalation dose required (15 mg/kg/day) was significantly lower than the oral gavage dose (150 mg/kg/day), indicating that substantially reduced doses, when administered via inhalation, were sufficient to confer protection against mortality in mice.

Conclusion: The findings underscore the potential of inhalation therapy using spray-dried favipiravir powder as an effective and efficient treatment option for influenza, offering the promise of reduced dosing requirements and associated adverse effects.

Kidneys Toxicity and Biodistribution of Albumin-Based Gold and Silver Nanoclusters

2026-05-04

Introduction: The interaction of the kidneys with nanoparticles is a fundamental issue that accelerates the proper design of efficient and safe nanotherapeutics. The present study aimed to establish the kidney toxicity and the biodistribution profile of novel gold and silver nanocluster formulations.

Methods: Gold and silver nanoclusters were synthesized in an albumin template to probe their kidney- nano interaction. The interaction was performed on healthy animals to unveil the toxicity of nanoclusters on kidney tissue.

Results: Albumin-based gold nanoclusters (BSA-AuNCs) and albumin-based silver nanoclusters (BSA-AgNCs), exhibited comparable core size (2.2±1.3 nm and 2.5±1.6 nm, respectively) and hydrodynamic diameter (11.3±2.1 nm for BSA-AuNC and 10.7±1.9 nm for BSA-AgNC) indicating similarity in their core and overall sizes. Zeta potential measurements demonstrated a comparable surface charge between BSA- AuNC (18.1±3.2 mV) and BSA- AgNC (20.1±3.6 mV), which closely resembled the surface charge of albumin in water (20.7±3.5 mV). Upon administration to rats via intravenous route, ICP-OES measurements showed a significant silver and gold nanocluster accumulation in various vital organs with unequal distribution patterns. BSA-AgNC exhibited higher concentrations in the liver and spleen, while BSA-AuNC showed predominant accumulation in the liver and kidneys. However, the administered BSA-AgNC induced more renal damage than BSA- AuNCs.

Conclusion: The identified renal toxicity linked to BSA-AgNCs, despite their lower kidney accumulation than BSA-AuNCs, illuminates the intricate interplay between nanoparticle biodistribution and toxicity. This underscores the significance of considering the core metal type in nanoparticle design and evaluation. Further investigation is needed to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms of the observed biodistribution and toxicity.

Type IV Collagen-Targeting Nanoparticles for Efficient Delivery to the Renal Interstitium in Fibrotic Kidneys

2026-05-04

Introduction: Renal fibrosis is recognized as the final common pathway of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, ultimately leading to end-stage renal failure and defined by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) by renal myofibroblasts in the interstitium. To establish an effective drug delivery system targeting fibrotic lesions, we developed nanoparticles modified with short-chain peptides that bind type IV collagen (Col IV), a distinct ECM component remodeled in fibrosis.

Methods: Col IV-targeting nanoparticles were intravenously administered to a unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) rat model of renal fibrosis. The distribution of these nanoparticles to the renal interstitium was examined via fluorescence-based ex vivo imaging and analysis of frozen kidney tissue sections. Additionally, we assessed cellular uptake in renal fibroblasts (NRK-49F), with or without transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) stimulation, using flow cytometry.

Results: Both Col IV-targeting and non-targeting nanoparticles exhibited increased distribution in the fibrotic renal interstitium compared to healthy tissue. Moreover, the Col IV-targeting nanoparticles localized more extensively in the fibrotic interstitium than their non-targeting counterparts. In vitro, Col IV-targeting nanoparticles also showed significantly higher accumulation in NRK-49F cells, irrespective of TGF-β1 stimulation, compared to non-targeting nanoparticles.

Discussion: In a UUO-induced renal fibrosis model, these nanoparticles efficiently migrated to the fibrotic renal interstitium, and in vitro experiments using NRK-49F cells demonstrated enhanced uptake by renal fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, central mediators of ECM deposition in fibrotic progression.

Conclusion: We successfully fabricated and evaluated Col IV-targeting nanoparticles, which may serve as an effective drug delivery platform for antifibrotic therapies, potentially mitigating CKD progression.