Niosomes are considered as novel nano-carrier in the drug delivery systems. These are much more stable than other nano-carriers like liposomes and nanoparticles. It is an example for targeted and control release of medication. The drug is entrapped into lipid core so that it prevents the drug from leaching. Here the drug will be targeted only to the desired cell/tissue and not to the non-targeted cells. By giving this formulation we can thereby reduce the dose of the drug and toxicity. This review article mainly emphasizes on the potential applications of niosomes in targeted drug delivery system. Keywords: niosomes, nanocarriers, targeted drug delivery.

Nanosuspensions are colloidal dispersions and biphasic system consisting of drug particles dispersed in an aqueous vehicle in which the diameter of the suspended particle is less than 1μm in size. Many drugs including antibiotics are having poor solubility. Nanosuspensions have proven to be a better alternative over other approaches currently available for improving bioavailability of such drugs with low solubility. This review describes the methods of pharmaceutical nanosuspension of antibiotic formulations and pharmaceutical applications in drug delivery.

The recent innovative advance in nanotechnology has led to the development of targeted drug delivery system. Targeting a molecule to a particular site with the help of a drug delivery system efficiently requires the use of specialized drug delivery systems. The invention of Nano sponges has become a significant step in overcoming the problems associated with conventional drug delivery systems. These are able to carry both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs. Nano sponge technology widely provide the controlled and predictable release of the drug to the targeted site. The Nano sponge particles circulate around the body and get attached with the target site and release the drug. A wide variety of drugs can be incorporated in the Nano sponge formulation since it possess a porous structure in nature. Nano sponge technology has been studied widely for the drug delivery by oral administration, topical administration and parenteral administration. Nano sponges can be used to prevent drug and protein degradation. Another important characteristic of Nano sponge is that they can improve the solubility of poorly water soluble drug. In this review advantages, composition, method of preparation, evaluation and application of different formulations of drugs and recent studies on Nano sponge have been discussed.

The prevalence of neurological diseases is increasing too rapidly in ageing population in world. In traditional practice of medicine of natural products has been reported to treat neurological disorders. Para-coumaric acid is a hydroxycinnamic acid and reported for various pharmacological activities such as anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory effects. But clinical application of para-coumaric acid is limited due to its poor dissolution rate. Polymeric nanoparticles have been reported for targeted drug delivery system. With this information, our study focused to formulate para-coumaric acid loaded chitosan nanoparticles in order to evaluate its neuroprotective potential against neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line. Different formulations (F1, F2, F3) of Para-coumaric acid loaded chitosan nanoparticles (PCA-NPs) was prepared by simple ionic cross-linking method. Formulated PCA-NPs were subjected to characterization methods such as SEM analysis, Drug loading and Entrapment efficiency, in-vitro drug release and Stability studies. The in vitro cyto-toxicity assay of formulated PCA-NPs was performed against neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line. This study indicated that F2-formulationof PCA-NPs showed improved dissolution rate of drug and considerable neuro-protective activity against neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, the study concluded that nanoparticle formulation could be suitable for targeted drug delivery system against neurological disorder.

Herbal formulations marketed in India for many years providing its therapeutic benefits in health problems. Medicinal plants or their phytoconstituents are less toxic and free from side effects than synthetic drugs. However, formulation aspects of these phytoconstituents are limited due to its low solubility. Nanotechnology is a promising technique to increase the solubility of herbal drugs. This will lead to a subsequent reduction in drug dose. Nanoformulations such as nanosuspension increase the solubility of poorly soluble drugs and also have good targeting effects on different cells. The efficacy of herbal nanosuspensions evaluated using different cell lines. Here, hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (SMMC-7721), human prostate cancer cell line, human myelogenous leukemia cell line, human epithelial cell line, human breast cancer cell lines (4T1, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-453), carcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cell line (A549), human umbilical vein endothelial cell line, human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line (HT-29), and human epithelial carcinoma cell line (HeLa) are used in the evaluation procedures. In vitro assays help in the determination of the dose range of drugs for the activity. The present review highlights the in vitro cancer studies of herbal nanosuspensions using different cell lines.