PLGA nanoparticles in drug delivery

Since the previous decade, biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have gained remarkable attention in pharmaceuticals industry. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is one of the outstanding biodegradable polymers. It is widely investigated for drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other biomedical applications. PLGA is considered as an excellent candidate for drug delivery due to its versatile characteristics. So, it is needed to gain basic knowledge of synthetic procedure and the physicochemical properties of polymer for developing polymeric drug delivery system. In this chapter, we have presented the PLGA synthesis strategies, physicochemical properties, chemistry of the polymer, degradation mechanism, and various applications in diverse fields such as drug delivery, tissue engineering, and other biomedical applications with its mechanism of action. As this chapter mainly focuses on the application of PLGA nanoparticles in drug delivery, various methods used for the synthesis of PLGA micro-/nanoparticles such as emulsion-evaporation method, emulsion-diffusion method, emulsion reverse salting-out method, phase separation method, spray-drying method, nanoprecipitation method, microfluidic method are discussed thoroughly. Moreover, the drug release mechanism form PLGA nanoparticle is presented schematically. Surface modification and functionalization strategies of PLGA micro-/nanoparticles are also highlighted. This chapter presents a comprehensive overview of PLGA-based nanoformulations for the treatment of several diseases including pulmonary diseases, ophthalmic diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, infections, and inflammations and also presents the future prospective of PLGA nanoparticles in drug delivery field.