Synthetic and Natural Polymeric Drug Delivery Systems - A Comprehensive Overview of Polycaprolactone and Glucan Particles

The small size and large surface area of nano-and microparticles are interesting properties for drug delivery and are hypothetically capable of overcoming some limitations of conventional therapeutic medicine and diagnostic agents. Although their features are highly influenced by the polymer characteristics, these particles are known for encapsulating high amounts of drugs, improving stability and bioavailability and enabling different administration routes. Among synthetic polymers, polycaprolactone (PCL) nanoparticles are widely studied in drug delivery due to their excellent biocompatibility and degradability and their ability to blend with other polymers. In turn, among natural polymers, glucan has been emerging as a promising candidate for drug delivery, particularly due to its structure-forming abilities and immunomodulatory effects. Under the safe-by -design approach for the development of polymeric particles, this review encloses a comprehensive summary of the production methods, physicochemical characteristics and immunotoxicity profiles of PCL and glucan particles developed for drug delivery.