Lipid nanoparticles: In vitro and in vivo approaches in drug delivery and targeting
Abstract Lipid nanoparticles (LNs) including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are colloidal dispersions stabilized by emulsifiers with a solid lipid matrix. Associated with advantages such as high biocompatibility, good physical stability, controlled release of drug and active substances, easy large scale production, and cheap raw materials, LNs have attracted increasing interest in drug delivery. Besides chemical drugs, LNs are applied to deliver biopharmaceuticals such as protein, peptides, and genes. The administration routes for LNs are versatile, including oral, parenteral, dermal, pulmonary, intranasal, and ophthalmologic delivery. However, the marketed preparations based on LNs are still limited. This chapter gives a brief introduction to the principle preparation techniques of LNs, while focusing on the in vitro and in vivo characterization methods. Furthermore, evaluation models for specific administration routes as well as cellular models are included.