Surface Engineering: Incorporation of Bioactive Compound

Abstract

Surface engineering facilitates incorporation of various bioactive compounds and provides unique advantages for the specific delivery of imaging and therapeutic agents. Several molecules with imaging, diagnostic, prognostic, sensing, and therapy can be incorporated in the bioformulations with the help of different surface engineering techniques. This chapter reviews drug carriers which were surface engineered for targeted drug delivery at the requisite location. A single or combination of surface engineering has been used for efficient delivery of carriers. The carriers reviewed here were divided into two categories: lipid-based carriers (liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles) and non-lipid-based carriers (niosomes, polymeric nanoparticles, hydrogels, dendrimers, quantum dots, gold nanoparticles, and mesoporous silica nanoparticles). Various kinds of bioactive compounds along with the involvement of surface engineering techniques in incorporation were also discussed. This chapter focuses on recent advances in the surface engineering of nanocarriers for therapeutic applications.