Self-assembled polymeric nanostructures: a promising platform for bioimaging and therapeutic applications

Self-assembled polymeric nanostructures (SAPNs) are the different structural arrangements of polymeric nanostructures (PNs); and their properties are well exploited according to their buildup of a superstructure. Generally, PNs can be defined as particulate dispersions or solid particles prepared from biodegradable/nonbiodegradable polymers (natural, synthetic, or semisynthetic), with a size of about 10–1000 nm. SAPNs consist of biocompatible drug transporters in which the effective drug or biologically active small or large molecules can be dissolved, absorbed, adsorbed, entrapped, or encapsulated for site-specific delivery. The SAPNs being used as effectively sustained and controlled drug delivery system have exhibited momentous therapeutic potential because of their subcellular size and biocompatibility with cells. Recently, the revolutionary development has been bought up in their theranostic application by the combination of polymer nanoscience and nanotechnology. In this chapter, we summarize the upgraded definitions, peculiar features, different preparation methods, potential biomedical applications, recent developments, and future prospective of different polymer-based nanostructures.