Table 3.
Application, advantages, and disadvantages of various nanocarriers.
| Nanomaterials | Advantages | Limits | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micelle [[143], [144], [145], [146], [147]] | Delivery of low-soluble drugs, and low cytotoxicity | Uncontrolled drug leakage, and easily diluted by blood flow | Antiviral therapy, tumor therapy |
| Liposome [[148], [149], [150]] | High structural flexibility, easy surface modification, good biocompatibility, and high permeability to deep skin | Low stability, leakage of hydrophilic drugs, high production cost, and limited drug load | Tumor therapy, gene delivery, signal enhancers, treatment of neurodegenerative diseases |
| Polymeric nanoparticle [[151], [152], [153], [154], [155]] | High encapsulation efficiency, wide variety, strong designability, and enhanced circulation characteristics | Complex synthesis process, poor structural stability, and rapid degradation | Tumor therapy, gene delivery, tissue engineering |
| Dendrimer [[156], [157], [158], [159]] | Controllable molecular size, large number of functional groups, and simplicity of functionalization | High molecular weight, and low solubility | Antitumor therapy, antiviral therapy, anti-inflammatory therapy, cardiovascular disease treatment, imaging diagnosis |
| Carbon-based nanoparticle [[160], [161], [162]] | High light absorption and utilization efficiency, high surface area to volume ratio | Cytotoxic and inflammatory reactions, difficult to biodegrade | Optical imaging, phototherapy, drug delivery |
| Metal-based nanoparticle [[163], [164], [165], [166], [167]] | High biocompatibility and stability, adjustable size, good optical properties, easy surface functionalization, and long activity cycle | Difficult to biodegrade and potentially toxic | Phototherapy and biosensor |
| Metal oxide-based nanoparticle [[168], [169], [170]] | High light stability, large emission quantum yield, and easy surface modification | Poor biocompatibility and potential adverse reactions | Fluorescent labeling, and drug delivery |
| Silica nanoparticle [[171], [172], [173]] | Mesoporous structure, high surface area, biocompatibility, and degradability | Poor biological distribution | Photoacoustic imaging, drug delivery and release |
| Nanozyme [[174], [175], [176]] | Catalytic stability, low production costs, high tolerance to environmental changes, and adjustable biological function | Low reproducibility, less specificity toward substrate, and plausible catalytic mechanism | Biosensing, immunoassays, disease diagnosis, and drug delivery |