Tunable Biopolymeric Drug Carrier Nanovehicles and Their Safety

Biopolymers are types of biomolecules encompassing a wide range of macromolecules such as polysaccharides, proteins, DNA, RNA, enzymes, and polyphenols that are abundant in nature. The most striking properties of these biopolymers are that they are renewable, eco-friendly, nontoxic, biodegradable, and natural, and most of the time, they are relatively inexpensive materials. The capability to design novel material through nanotechnology and related developments have widened and enabled the development of superior-controlled drug delivery systems. Because of the unique properties of biopolymers together with nanotechnology capabilities, the use of biopolymeric nanomaterials as a drug nanocarrier was inevitable. This chapter covers the literature in the field of biopolymeric nanovehicle design for tailor-made devices such as drug carriers. The advantages and disadvantages of loading techniques such as physical, chemical, and encapsulation methods in the preparation of biopolymeric drug carrier vehicles are discussed. Finally, the potential application area of these biopolymeric carriers from ocular delivery to targeted cancer therapy and, especially, their safety will be outlined with clinical evidence. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.