Lipid-core nanoparticles: Classification, preparation methods, routes of administration and recent advances in cancer treatment

Nanotechnological drug delivery platforms represent a new paradigm for cancer therapeutics as they improve the pharmacokinetic profile and distribution of chemotherapeutic agents over conventional formulations. Among nanoparticles, lipid-based nanoplatforms possessing a lipid core, that is, lipid-core nanoparticles (LCNPs), have gained increasing interest due to lipid properties such as high solubilizing potential, versatility, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. However, due to the wide spectrum of morphologies and types of LCNPs, there is a lack of consensus regarding their terminology and classification.

Highlights

• LCNPs are a versatile group of drug-delivery systems for cancer treatment.
• LCNPs are classified depending on the physical state of their lipidic core.
• The preparation methods of LCNPs can be adapted for large-scale production.
• LCNPs formulations are effectively administered through different pathways.
• LCNPs administered intranasally are promising to target brain tumors.

According to the current state-of-the-art in this critical review, LCNPs are defined and classified based on the state of their lipidic components in liquid lipid nanoparticles (LLNs). These include lipid nanoemulsions (LNEs) and lipid nanocapsules (LNCs), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid nanocarriers (NLCs). In addition, we present a comprehensive and comparative description of the methods employed for their preparation, routes of administration and the fundamental role of physicochemical properties of LCNPs for efficient antitumoral drug-delivery application. Market available LCNPs, clinical trials and preclinical in vivo studies of promising LCNPs as potential treatments for different cancer pathologies are summarized.

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Pablo Graván, Aixa Aguilera-Garrido, Juan Antonio Marchal, Saúl A. Navarro-Marchal, Francisco Galisteo-González, Lipid-core nanoparticles: Classification, preparation methods, routes of administration and recent advances in cancer treatment, Advances in Colloid and Interface Science, 2023, 102871, ISSN 0001-8686,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cis.2023.102871.