Overview of the preparation of organic polymeric nanoparticles for drug delivery based on gelatine, chitosan, poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolic acid) and polyalkylcyanoacrylate.

Polymeric nanoparticles are greatly advancing the field of nanomedicine due to their ability for targeted and controlled drug release. There are two types of materials which form polymeric nanoparticles; natural or synthetic. In this review article, natural polymeric nanoparticles including; gelatine and chitosan and synthetic polymeric nanoparticles such as poly(lactide-co-glycolic acid) and poly-n-alkyl(cyano)acrylate will be discussed. The various preparation methods of these nanoparticles and the impact of critical parameters such as molecular weight, charge or choice of stabilizer will be described, as these control the overall mean size and surface of the nanoparticle which is a critical factor for drug delivery.