Biodegradable nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery in viral infections
1 Department of Human Anatomy, College of Medicine, Federal University Lokoja, Nigeria.
2 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.
3 Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
4 Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Ilorin, Nigeria.
5 Department of Chemical Engineering, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Nigeria.
6 Department of Physics, Federal University of Education Zaria, Nigeria.
7 Department of Microbiology, Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aleiro, Nigeria.
Review
International Journal of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences Archive, 2025, 09(01), 048-076.
Article DOI: 10.53771/ijbpsa.2025.9.1.0031
Publication history:
Received on 12 February 2025; revised on 23 March 2025; accepted on 25 March 2025
Abstract:
Viral infections continue to pose significant global health challenges, contributing to high morbidity and mortality rates, as seen in diseases such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, influenza, and SARS-CoV-2. Despite advancements in antiviral therapies, conventional treatment strategies face critical limitations, including drug resistance, systemic toxicity, and poor bioavailability. Biodegradable nanoparticles (BNPs) have emerged as revolutionary drug delivery systems, offered targeted and controlled release of antiviral agents while enhanced therapeutic efficacy and minimizing adverse effects. This review explores the diverse types of biodegradable nanoparticles, including polymeric, lipid-based, and protein-based nanoparticles, detailing their composition, drug-loading mechanisms, and biodegradability properties. The mechanisms of biodegradation and drug release, including enzymatic, hydrolytic, and oxidative degradation, are analyzed to highlight how BNPs enhance antiviral drug pharmacokinetics. Moreover, various targeting strategies—such as receptor-mediated targeting, pH-responsive nanoparticles, and nanoparticle-based immunomodulation—are discussed for their ability to improve drug localization and immune response activation. Recent advances in clinical translation and regulatory considerations, including the success of mRNA-based lipid nanoparticle vaccines and ongoing clinical trials, underscore BNPs' potential for widespread therapeutic applications. However, challenges such as scalability, cost of production, toxicity concerns, and regulatory hurdles remain major obstacles to clinical adoption. The review further highlights emerging trends, including CRISPR-loaded BNPs for viral genome editing, biohybrid nanoparticles for vaccine development, and biomimetic nanoparticles for enhanced drug delivery. By bridging scientific, clinical, and regulatory perspectives, this review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of biodegradable nanoparticles as next-generation antiviral therapeutics, with a focus on enhancing their scalability and real-world application.
Keywords:
Biodegradable Nanoparticles; Antiviral Therapy; Drug Delivery; Nanomedicine; Targeting Strategies; Mrna Vaccines; CRISPR Nanoparticles; Clinical Translation
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Copyright © 2025 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0