Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) Acid (PLGA)-based Nanoparticles and Nanofibers for Sustained Release of Poorly-soluble Drugs

Poor aqueous solubility of drugs is becoming an increasingly pronounced challenge in the formulation and development of drug delivery systems. Issues associated with poor solubility can lead to low bioavailability resulting in suboptimal drug delivery. Moreover, poorly water-soluble drugs need to be formulated in co-solvents or surfactant solutions to enhance their solubility, but many of these solutions are responsible for the severe side effects. Nanodrug delivery systems aim to overcome such obstacles, and demonstrate great potential to improve the safety and efficacy profiles of drugs. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) is the FDA-approved copolymer that attracts considerable interest as a base material for biomedical applications, due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability, as well as controlled and sustained drug release that plays an important role in determining the dose and dosage. Nanoprecipitation method is a one-step process, generally used to incorporate hydrophobic drugs in the polymer matrix to obtain nanoparticles. Moreover, electrospinning technique is a versatile approach for encapsulating therapeutic agents in nanofibers. Nano-sized dosage forms possess large surface area to volume ratio that alters the chemical, physical, and biological properties of the dosage form, and consequently improves the drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Furthermore, such nanodrug delivery systems provide sustained drug release for a prolonged time. Herein, both PLGA nanoparticles and nanofibers have been successfully proved as efficient carriers of poorly-soluble drugs like mometasone furoate and amphotericin B, to reduce drug toxicity, facilitate localized delivery over a prolonged time, and circumvent systemic administration. In a view of a translational approach, PLGA nanocarriers would be a good choice.