Chapter 11 - Biopolymer and polymer nanoparticles and their biomedical applications

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This chapter presents basic features of polymer and biopolymer nanoparticles, considering in particular applications in different areas, especially in pharmaceutical and biomedical domains. A description of the main organized surfactants assemblies is presented along with the details of the polymerizations occurring in such structures. The preparation methods of the nanoparticles that have been developed have been classified into three main categories: methods based on a polymerization reaction and those requiring a preformed polymer or a biological macromolecule. Self-organized surfactant systems can be used as structured media to control nanoparticle formation. Nanoparticles may make possible new possibilities for pharmaceutical and medical applications, especially for improving the selectivity and efficiency of drugs. Compared to the efforts put into the discovery of new chemical entities, relatively little effort has been put into the investigation of introducing nanoparticles into medical practice. Despite of the remarkable advances made in understanding the behavior of nanoparticulate carriers in vivo, a better knowledge of the interactions between nanoparticulate drug delivery systems and the biological milieu would facilitate their introduction into human therapy.

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