Nanotechnology as Emerging Tool for Enhancing Solubility of Poorly Water-Soluble Drugs

In the past few decades, nanotechnology has been used to develop various nano-based systems to facilitate the delivery of therapeutic and imaging agents for various medical applications. Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems have been used to modify and improve the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties of various drugs used in therapeutic application. According to material of delivery vehicle used for the nanoparticles, they have been categorized as polymer-based nanoparticles, lipid-based nanoparticles, and lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles. Earlier, two types represent two primary delivery vehicles with lot of application in different fields but some intrinsic limitations remain to limit their application at certain extent. The later one have been demonstrated to include the unique advantages of both lipid-based nanoparticles and polymer-based nanoparticles while excluding some of their intrinsic limitations, thereby holding great promise as a delivery vehicle for various medical applications. In this review, we first introduce nanoparticles, method of preparation, and their types based on delivery vehicle followed by characteristics which affect the nanoparticle formulation. Finally, we summarize the potential medical application of the nanoparticles.