Drug Carriers Production Processes for Innovative Human Applications (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

Drug carriers are special tools used for the transportation and preservation of molecules for several pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications. The main advantage of carriers is their ability to incorporate drugs, enhancing the bioavailability and selectivity of drugs and reducing their side effects on humans.

Drug carriers can be classified according to their nature, shape and production materials. Nanoparticles are spherical objects that are generally employed in pharmaceutical applications, such as gene therapy, the delivery of proteins, dietary supplements, vitamin, antibiotics and vaccines. Nanotubes are hollow cylinders of carbon that are used to treat carcinogenic cells or tissues. Dendrimers are more complex arrays of carriers, with a branched shape used for the simultaneous and efficient transportation of drugs. Liposomes are spherical vesicles composed of an inner aqueous core surrounded by a double layer of phospholipids, and are particularly useful since they are biocompatible with human cells. Polymersomes are spherical vesicles with a polymer coating, which guarantees controlled and delayed drug release. Furthermore, niosomes are spherical vesicles composed of nonionic surfactant active agents. These are only some examples of the carriers utilized in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and nutraceutical applications, but all of them require attention from the scientific community.

Drug delivery can be performed via several routes of administration, namely active or passive. In this Special Issue, we welcome original research papers or reviews that address the following drug delivery routes: ocular, oral, transdermal, nasal, pulmonary, vaginal and urinary, subcutaneous and delivery via patches and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).

Several processes have been proposed for the production of drug carriers in order to improve their properties, such as their nanometric dimensions, encapsulation efficiency, solvent residue, sterility and stability. Therefore, the main properties and characteristics of carriers may vary significantly, depending on the production processes employed. In this Special Issue, we welcome the presentation of novel methodologies for the production of drug carriers, as well as novel findings regarding the mechnisms of the problem. Moreover, innovations in the products provided by conventional methods and in the processes employed should be considered. Finally, this Special Issue aims to provide an economic analysis of the processes of productive plants, as well as the environmental impact of these processes.

Dr. Paolo Trucillo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• nanoparticles
• nanocapsules
• nanospheres
• liposomes
• foams
• carbon nanotubes
• dendrimers
• cubosomes
• niosomes
• hydrogels
• conventional processes
• drug delivery systems
• modeling of drug delivery
• high-pressure systems
• supercritical processes
• economic analysis
• environmental impact of processes