Nanoparticles: Organic Nanoparticles

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Polymeric nanoparticles. Polymeric nanoparticles can be further categorised as either nanospheres or nanocapsules.

• Nanospheres consist of a solid polymer matrix which is able to encapsulate hydrophobic drugs.
• Nanocapsules contain an aqueous hydrophilic core that is more amenable to the loading of hydrophilic payloads such as DNA/RNA.

Advantages:

• The payload flexibility increases the versatility of polymeric nanoparticles, making them attractive candidates as nanocarriers.

Limitations:

• polymeric nanoparticles are not simple to purify and do not store well, making them a poor choice for applications that require large scale production.