Skin is the largest and easily accessible organ of the body and therefore can be extensively used as a prominent route of delivery for local and systemic effects. Though it presents a multifunctional barrier between body and surrounding particles, there are chances to deliver therapeutic nanocarrier, particularly in diseased skin. Both for dermal and transdermal drug delivery, the horny layer, i.e., the uppermost layer of the skin serve as the most resistant layer to be crossed and for this purpose, different perforation techniques are used that relatively widen the skin opening and allow the passage of drug (≤ 10 mg) and micromolecules, but this amateur disruption of the skin can be avoided in order to preserve this barrier against cutaneous microbiota by using deformable nanocarriers. In this review, we discuss the nanosized aggregates and microneedle technology for the advanced delivery of vaccines, protein, peptides, nucleic acid, and hormone across the skin.

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CNTs is a fullerene molecule, described in 1991 by the Japanese Scientist ‘‘Sumio Iijima’’ as tube-shaped of graphitic carbon, can be obtained either single or multi-walled nanotube, having a diameter measuring on the nanometer scale, and generally known as buckytubes. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have established much recent interest as new entities for experimental disease diagnosis and treatment because of their unique electronic, mechanical, thermal, spectroscopic, metallic, semiconducting and superconducting electron transport properties. Carbon nanotubes can be acquired in numerous ways, the general techniques are Arc discharge, Laser ablation, and Chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Carbon nanotubes are discussed in this review in terms of characters, history, structures, properties, synthesis, purification, characterization methods, toxicity and applications. Purification of nanotubes includes many techniques: Acid treatment, oxidation, annealing, ultrasonication, cutting, magnetic purification, chromatography techniques. Further functionalization enhanced the water solubility of CNT's and completely transformed their biocompatibility profile. Carbon nanotubes, due to their large surface areas, unique surface properties, and needle-like shape, can deliver a lot of therapeutic agents, including DNA, siRNAs and proteins to the target disease sites. CNTs can be readily excreted through the renal route by means of degradation through myeloperoxidase (MOP) enzyme. As CNTs have attracted the fancy of many scientists worldwide, the work beyond our expectations and their simple mechanism with long lasting life makes it more reliable to use. The unique and unusual properties of these structures make them a unique material with a whole range of promising applications.

Objective: The present investigation focused on the novel approach using artesunate (AS) loaded mannosylated conjugated multi-walled carbon nanotubes (M-MWCNTs) for site-specific delivery to the brain in the treatment of cerebral malaria (CM). Methods: The raw MWCNTs were purified by selective oxidation method and then exposed to sequential chemical functionalization according to the following steps: carboxylation, acylation, amine modification and finally, D-mannose conjugation. The AS was loaded via the equilibrium dialysis method in the molar ratio 1:3 of various functionalized sonicated MWCNTs. The functionalized MWCNTs were characterized for elemental analysis, FTIR, TEM, zeta potential and percentage drug entrapment efficiency. The in vitro drug release study was performed on AS conjugated purified MWCNTs (AS-P-MWCNT) and AS conjugated M-MWCNTs. Bio-distribution study was performed on albino rat for quantitative measurement of AS in different organs and blood. Results: The TEM images of M-MWCNTs indicated their open tubular nature and AS-M-MWCNTs suggests the entrapment of AS. The percent drug entrapment of AS-M-MWCNT was found to be 80.29±3.4 %. In vitro AS release from AS-M-MWCNTs was found in a controlled manner at pH 7.4. The bio-distribution studies clearly indicate the superiority of the AS-M-MWCNTs, as compared to the plain drug towards increasing the accumulation of AS in brain. Conclusion: The results suggest that AS-M-MWCNTs could be employed as an efficient nano-carrier for antimalarial therapy in cerebral malaria.

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