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The Other Side of Plastics: Bioplastic-Based Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Systems in the Brain
Summary
This review explores bioplastic-based nanoparticles as potential drug delivery vehicles for brain diseases, examining both their therapeutic promise and safety concerns. Researchers found that biodegradable polymers can pass through biological barriers and concentrate in specific tissues, making them useful for targeted drug delivery. However, the study cautions that the same properties enabling tissue penetration also raise concerns about long-term accumulation and unknown biological effects.
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.
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