Fundamentals of Nanotechnology and Nanoparticles
Abstract
Nanotechnology has fundamentally transformed biomedical science and cancer therapeutics by enabling rational design and fabrication of materials at the nanometre scale. Nanoparticles, characterised by tunable size, high surface-area-to-volume ratio, and surface functionalisability, represent the cornerstone of modern nanomedicine. This chapter provides a comprehensive introduction to nanotechnology and nanoparticles as the foundational framework for understanding nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems in oncology. Beginning with historical milestones and defining principles of nanotechnology, the discussion progresses to a detailed examination of nanoparticle characteristics, including size, surface charge, morphology, and colloidal stability, and their relevance to drug loading, pharmacokinetics, and tumour targeting. A taxonomic classification of nanoparticle systems encompassing lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, carbon-based, and hybrid platforms is presented, with emphasis on their structural attributes and cancer drug delivery applications. Synthesis methodologies, including bottom-up and top-down approaches, are critically reviewed with attention to scalability, reproducibility, and pharmaceutical relevance. The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, active targeting strategies, and stimuli-responsive release mechanisms are analysed in the context of improving tumour selectivity and therapeutic indices. The chapter also addresses current translational challenges, including regulatory hurdles and in vivo biological barriers, and charts future directions for intelligent nanoparticle design. This foundational chapter establishes the conceptual and scientific vocabulary necessary for subsequent chapters addressing specific nanoparticle platforms in cancer therapy.
Author Affiliations
- 1 Department of Pharmaceutics, R. L. Jalappa College of Pharmacy, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Tamaka, Kolar - 563103, Karnataka, India.
- 2 Department of Pharmacognosy, R. L. Jalappa College of Pharmacy, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Tamaka, Kolar - 563103, Karnataka, India.
- 3 Department of Pharmacology, R. L. Jalappa College of Pharmacy, Sri Devaraj Urs Academy of Higher Education and Research, Tamaka, Kolar - 563103, Karnataka, India.