Protein Nanoparticles in Drug Delivery: Biocompatibility, Functionalization, and Therapeutic Applications

AbstractDue to being biocompatible and biodegradable with a wide variety of structural characteristics, proteinnanoparticles (PNPs) can act as novel drug delivery vehicles. PNPs can be constructed from the natural proteins:albumin, gelatin, silk fibroin, casein, and ferritin, thus providing several advantages compared to organicpolymers and inorganic materials. PNPs can encapsulate a number of types of therapeutic agents (designed toprevent degradation and premature clearance), like proteins, peptides, nucleic acids and small molecules.Moreover, they have a unique surface chemistry that permits functionalizing with other polymers, ligands fortargeting, or biomimetic coatings to achieve enhanced circulation time, tissue specificity and uptake. Finally,some of the many attributes of PNPs include: pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics profiles that increase theefficacy of therapeutic treatments while decreasing levels of toxicity to healthy tissues. Current fabricationtechniques allow for precise regulation of the size, morphology and release kinetics of the PNPs. Proteinnanocarriers have demonstrated potential as delivery systems for genes and vaccines, as well as forantimicrobial treatment, cancer treatment, and regenerative medicine. While protein nanocarriers have manyadvantages, there are still challenges related to lot-to-lot reproducibility, stability, and large-scale manufacturingof the carrier system. This review highlights recent advancements made in regard to the design of proteinnanoparticles, their biocompatibility, their functionalization methods, and their therapeutic uses; theseadvancements demonstrate that protein nanoparticles could potentially serve as safe, efficient, and readilytranslatable drug delivery systems in the future.