Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles as a new generation therapeutic delivery platform: a review

Abstract

Lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (LPNs) are core-shell nanoparticle structures comprising polymer cores and lipid/lipid-PEG shells, which exhibit complementary characteristics of both polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes, particularly in terms of their physical stability and biocompatibility. Significantly, the LPNs have recently been demonstrated to exhibit superior in vivo cellular delivery efficacy compared to that obtained from polymeric nanoparticles and liposomes. Since their inception, the LPNs have advanced significantly in terms of their preparation strategy and scope of applications. Their preparation strategy has undergone a shift from the conceptually simple two-step method, involving preformed polymeric nanoparticles and lipid vesicles, to the more principally complex, yet easier to perform, one-step method, relying on simultaneous self-assembly of the lipid and polymer, which has resulted in better products and higher production throughput. The scope of LPNs' applications has also been extended beyond single drug delivery for anticancer therapy, to include combinatorial and active targeted drug deliveries, and deliveries of genetic materials, vaccines, and diagnostic imaging agents. This review details the current state of development for the LPNs preparation and applications from which we identify future research works needed to bring the LPNs closer to its clinical realization.

Keywords: 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine–polyethylene glycol; 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane; 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine; 1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane; 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine; 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine–polyethylene glycol; 3β-[N-(N′,N′-dimethylaminoethane)-carbamyl] cholesterol; AuNC; BHEM-Chol; CEA; CMT; COM; CT; Chol; Core shell nanoparticles; DC-Chol; DCX; DLPC; DMF; DMPE–PEG; DMSO; DOPC; DOPE; DOTAP; DOX; DPPC; DPTAP; DSPE–PEG; DTPA; Doxorubicin; Drug delivery; EPR; FA; FA-OQLCS; FAP; GFP; Gene delivery; HCl; Hybrid nanoparticles; L/P; LPNs; Lipid polymer; Liposomes; MRI; Mal-PEG-DSPE; N,N-bis (2-hydroxyethyl)-N-methyl-N-(2-cholesteryloxycarbonyl aminoethyl) ammonium bromide; PBAE; PBS; PC; PCX; PDI; PEG; PEG-OQLCS; PEG–PE; PEI; PET; PFBT; PLA; PLGA; PRINT; PSMA; PVA; Particle Replication in Non-Wetting Templates; QD; RBC; Re; Reynolds number; TNF; TPGS; Tf; camptothecin; carcinoembryonic antigen; cholesterol; combretastatin; computed tomography; d-α-tocopherol PEG 1000 succinate; diethylene-triamine-pentaacetate; dimethyl formamide; dimethyl sulfoxide; docetaxel; enhanced permeability and retention; fibroblast activation protein; folic acid; folic acid conjugated octadecyl-quaternized lysine modified chitosan; gold nanocrystals; green fluorescent protein; hydrogen chloride; lipid polymer nanoparticles; lipid to polymer; mPEG–DSPE; mPEG–PLA; mRNA; magnetic resonance imaging; maleimide-terminated polyethylene glycol 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine; messenger RNA; methoxy polyethylene glycol–1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine; methoxy polyethylene glycol–poly(lactic acid); o/w; oil-in-water; paclitaxel; phosphate buffer saline; phosphatidylcholine; poly [(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(1,4-benzo-(2,1′,3) thiadiazole)]; poly β-amino ester; poly(ethylene terephthalate); poly(ethyleneimine); poly(lactic acid); poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid); poly(vinyl alcohol); polydispersity index; polyethylene glycol; polyethylene glycol conjugated octadecyl-quarternized lysine modified chitosan; polyethylene glycol–phosphoethanolamine; prostate specific membrane antigen; quantum dots; red blood cells; scFv; scTNF; siRNA; single-chain Fv fragments; single-chain tumor necrosis factor; small interfering RNA; transferrin; tumor necrosis factor; w/o/w; water-in-oil-in-water.