A Review on the Role of Lipid-Based Novel Drug Delivery Systems in Precision Medicine

Review Article

Abstract

Lipid-based novel drug delivery systems, especially Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) and Nanostructured Lipid Carriers (NLCs), play a vital role in the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents, offering a biocompatible alternative to polymeric and metallic systems. These third-generation colloidal carriers address the intrinsic limitations of conventional chemotherapy, including poor aqueous solubility, non-specific biodistribution, and systemic toxicity. These systems facilitate the encapsulation of hydrophobic bioactives by utilizing a lipid core matrix while protecting them from enzymatic degradation in the physiological environment. The structural evolution from the crystalline matrices of SLNs to the imperfect lattice structures of NLCs demonstrates how lipid composition directly influences drug loading capacity and expulsion kinetics. Moreover, surface functionalization strategies play a crucial role in modulating pharmacokinetics, enabling a transition from reliance on passive accumulation via the Enhanced Permeation and Retention (EPR) effect to active cellular targeting through ligand conjugation. Additionally, these carriers exhibit the capability to circumvent multidrug resistance (MDR) mechanisms via endocytic uptake pathways that bypass efflux pumps. Despite these therapeutic advantages, the actual practical implementation remains constrained by critical bottlenecks in scale-up and stability that currently hinder widespread clinical adoption