Oils and lipids help make water-insoluble drugs soluble by dispersing them in an aqueous medium with the help of a surfactant and enabling their absorption across the gut barrier. The emergence of microemulsions (thermodynamically stable), nanoemulsions (kinetically stable), and self-emulsifying drug delivery systems added unique characteristics that make them suitable for prolonged storage and controlled release. In the 1990s, solid-phase lipids were introduced to reduce drug leakage from nanoparticles and prolong drug release. Manipulating the structure of emulsions and solid lipid nanoparticles has enabled multifunctional nanoparticles and the loading of therapeutic macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acid, vaccines, etc. Phospholipids and surfactants with a well-defined polar head and carbon chain have been used to prepare bilayer vesicles known as liposomes and niosomes, respectively. The increasing knowledge of targeting ligands and external factors to gain control over pharmacokinetics and the ever-increasing number of synthetic lipids are expected to make lipid nanoparticles and vesicular systems a preferred choice for the encapsulation and targeted delivery of therapeutic agents. This review discusses different lipids and oil-based nanoparticulate systems for the delivery of water-insoluble drugs. The salient features of each system are highlighted, and special emphasis is given to studies that compare them.

The World Health Organization identifies tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a leading infectious killer. Although conventional treatments for TB exist, they come with challenges such as a heavy pill regimen, prolonged treatment duration, and a strict schedule, leading to multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. The rise of MDR strains endangers future TB control. Despite these concerns, the hunt for an efficient treatment continues. One breakthrough has been the use of nanotechnology in medicines, presenting a novel approach for TB treatment. Nanocarriers, such as lipid nanoparticles, nanosuspensions, liposomes, and polymeric micelles, facilitate targeted delivery of anti-TB drugs. The benefits of nanocarriers include reduced drug doses, fewer side effects, improved drug solubility, better bioavailability, and improved patient compliance, speeding up recovery. Additionally, nanocarriers can be made even more targeted by linking them with ligands such as mannose or hyaluronic acid. This review explores these innovative TB treatments, including studies on nanocarriers containing anti-TB drugs and related patents.

Pancreatic cancer represents one of the most lethal cancer types worldwide, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Due to the inability to diagnose it promptly and the lack of efficacy of existing treatments, research and development of innovative therapies and new diagnostics are crucial to increase the survival rate and decrease mortality. Nanomedicine has been gaining importance as an innovative approach for drug delivery and diagnosis, opening new horizons through the implementation of smart nanocarrier systems, which can deliver drugs to the specific tissue or organ at an optimal concentration, enhancing treatment efficacy and reducing systemic toxicity. Varied materials such as lipids, polymers, and inorganic materials have been used to obtain nanoparticles and develop innovative drug delivery systems for pancreatic cancer treatment. In this review, it is discussed the main scientific advances in pancreatic cancer treatment by nano-based drug delivery systems. The advantages and disadvantages of such delivery systems in pancreatic cancer treatment are also addressed. More importantly, the different types of nanocarriers and therapeutic strategies developed so far are scrutinized.

The therapeutic efficacy of camptothecin (CPT), a potent antitumor alkaloid, is hindered by its hydrophobic nature and instability, limiting its clinical use in treating cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). This study introduces a novel nano drug delivery system (NDDS) utilizing functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (FMSNs) for efficient CPT delivery. The FMSNs were loaded with CPT and subsequently coated with chitosan (CS) for enhanced stability and bioadhesion. Importantly, CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG ODN) was attached onto the CS-coated FMSNs to leverage the immunostimulatory properties of CpG ODN, augmenting the chemotherapy's efficacy. The final formulation FMSN-CPT-CS-CpG displayed an average size of 241 nm and PDI of 0.316 with an encapsulation efficiency of 95 %. Comprehensive in vitro and in vivo analyses, including B16F10 cells and DMBA/TPA-induced SCC murine model, demonstrated that the FMSN-CPT-CS-CpG formulation significantly enhanced cytotoxicity against B16F10 cells and induced complete regression in 40 % of the in vivo subjects, surpassing the efficacy of standard CPT and FMSN-CPT treatments. This study highlights the potential of combining chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic agents in an NDDS for targeted, efficient skin cancer treatment.