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Review
. 2023 Oct 28;15(11):2549.
doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15112549.

The Other Side of Plastics: Bioplastic-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Systems in the Brain

Erwin Pavel Lamparelli  1 , Marianna Marino  1 , Marta Anna Szychlinska  2 , Natalia Della Rocca  1 , Maria Camilla Ciardulli  1 , Pasqualina Scala  1 , Raffaella D'Auria  1 , Antonino Testa  3 , Andrea Viggiano  1 , Francesco Cappello  4   5 , Rosaria Meccariello  6 , Giovanna Della Porta  1   7 , Antonietta Santoro  1   7
Affiliations
Review

The Other Side of Plastics: Bioplastic-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Systems in the Brain

Erwin Pavel Lamparelli et al. Pharmaceutics. .

Abstract

Plastics have changed human lives, finding a broad range of applications from packaging to medical devices. However, plastics can degrade into microscopic forms known as micro- and nanoplastics, which have raised concerns about their accumulation in the environment but mainly about the potential risk to human health. Recently, biodegradable plastic materials have been introduced on the market. These polymers are biodegradable but also bioresorbable and, indeed, are fundamental tools for drug formulations, thanks to their transient ability to pass through biological barriers and concentrate in specific tissues. However, this "other side" of bioplastics raises concerns about their toxic potential, in the form of micro- and nanoparticles, due to easier and faster tissue accumulation, with unknown long-term biological effects. This review aims to provide an update on bioplastic-based particles by analyzing the advantages and drawbacks of their potential use as components of innovative formulations for brain diseases. However, a critical analysis of the literature indicates the need for further studies to assess the safety of bioplastic micro- and nanoparticles despite they appear as promising tools for several nanomedicine applications.

Keywords: bioplastics; brain; drug delivery systems; nanoparticles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Chemical structures of the most diffused conventional plastics and bioplastics.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Overview of microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) destiny from the environment up to biological effects. BBB, blood–brain barrier.
Figure 3
Figure 3
A schematic illustration of the principal manufacturing methods to produce polymeric micro/nano-particles: conventional nanoprecipitation by anti-solvent effect (a), nanoprecipitation enhanced by adopting microfluidics channel (b), solvent extraction/evaporation of emulsion (c), supercritical fluids emulsion extraction (d), spray drying (e).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical and physical characterization of the polymeric nanoparticles.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Pros and cons of bioplastic MPs/NPs drug delivery systems for brain disease management.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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