What are lipid nanoparticles? How are they structured? How are they formed? What techniques are
best to characterize them? How great is their potential as drug delivery systems? These
questions and more are answered in this comprehensive and highly readable work on lipid
nanoparticles. This work sets out to provide the reader with a clear and understandable
understanding of the current practices in formulation characterization and drug delivery of
lipid nanoparticles. A comprehensive description of the current understanding of synthesis
characterization stability optimization and drug incorporation of solid lipid nanoparticles is
provided. Nanoparticles have attracted great interest over the past few decades with almost
exponential growth in their research and application. Their small particle size and subsequent
high surface area make them ideal in many uses but particularly as drug carrier systems.
Nanoparticles made from lipids are especially attractive because of their enhanced
biocompatibility imparted by the lipid. The work provides a detailed description of the types
of lipid nanoparticles available (e.g. SLN NLC LDC PLN) and how they range from imperfect
crystalline to amorphous in structure. Current thoughts on where drugs are situated (e.g. in
the core or at the interface) and how this can be manipulated are discussed. The many
techniques for production including the author's own variant of microwave heating are fully
discussed. Techniques for measuring arguably the most important characteristics of particle
size and polydispersity are discussed along with techniques to measure crystallinity shape
and drug capacity. Finally a full chapter on techniques for measuring stability both in the
absence and presence of drugs is discussed along with suggestions on how to optimize that
stability. This work appeals to students of colloid science practitioners of research into
drug delivery and academics alike.
