7,659
Views
233
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Focus Topical Reviews

Biopolymeric nanoparticles

, &
Article: 014104 | Received 26 Oct 2009, Accepted 27 Jan 2010, Published online: 26 Feb 2010

Figures & data

Table 1 Milestones of silk protein nanoparticles, preparation and application in chronological order.

Table 2 Milestones of alginate and its composite nanoparticles preparation and applications in chronological order.

Table 3 Milestones of chitosan and its composite nanoparticle fabrication and applications in chronological order.

Scheme 1 Schematic representation of nanoparticles preparation by (a) emulsification method [Citation38, Citation119] and (b) two step desolvation method [Citation39, Citation120].

Figure 1 Schematic outline of the preparation of protein nanoparticles and its biomedical applications. In this layout, silk is shown as a representative protein. Silks are mainly obtained from the lepidopteron insects of the family Bombycidae (e.g. Bombyx mori) and Saturniidae (e.g. Antheraea mylitta). Silk proteins can be isolated from the cocoons and mature 5th instar larvae. Silk proteins are of two types: the fibrous protein fibroin and the glue protein sericin. The isolated silk proteins are further processed and engineered to obtain the regenerated silk protein solution. The regenerated silk solutions are then further subjected to processes like desolvation, coacervation, emulsification and electrospraying to obtain the silk-based nanoparticles. These silk-based nanoparticles are further utilized in such biomedical applications as drug delivery, enzyme immobilization, growth factors delivery, in vivo bioimaging, gene delivery, etc [Citation67].

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.