1. Introduction
The development of nanotechnology in recent years has dramatically changed the approaches for drug delivery, initially improving the efficacy of the intravenous route for various drugs, such as anti-cancer ones. These results have also prompted researchers and pharma companies to look into the possibility of using nanocarriers for drug delivery through the oral route. On the other hand, in addition to pharmacological use, nanoparticles (NPs) have also been used quite extensively in the food industry, due to their ability to improve food characteristics, as well as product shelf-life. This implies that the interactions between NPs and the intestine can become quite frequent; for this reason, it is necessary to understand the pros and cons of the NPs presence in the intestine, also considering the possible interactions with the lumen components (food, acid environment, enzymes) and the different cell types.
1.1. The Intestinal Barrier
The gastrointestinal tract is a difficult environment for nanocarriers, both due to the aggressive conditions present in the lumen, as well as for the presence of the barrier separating the lumen from the rest of the body. The first challenge is a large pH gradient, ranging from pH 1–2.5 in the stomach to pH 7–8 in the colon, fact which can affect the structure of the nanocarriers or of the vehiculated drug. Moreover, the lumen enzymes, both in the stomach (ex. Pepsin) and in the duodenum (biliary and pancreatic secretions that include lipases, peptidases, and amylases) can affect the nanocarrier stability and/or their capacity to bind different substances (including food components)
[1][2].
The intestine is composed of different cell types that have specific functions, and the composition changes according to the anatomical site, i.e., the small or large intestine. In the small intestine the main absorption function is performed by the enterocytes, which are also responsible for the tight junctions, the most important structure creating the intestinal barrier. The mechanisms of uptake of lumen substances could be either paracellular or transcellular, i.e., through the enterocytes. The paracellular pathway usually plays a minor role in the passage of NPs, which are usually transported through the transcellular route. This occurs through vesicle-mediated mechanisms, either endocytosis or pinocytosis; it is easy to understand that the intrinsic characteristics of the NPs can affect the ability to bind to the enterocytes and to be transported through the transcellular route. In Figure 21, the main NPs administration routes are represented, along with the main aspects related to the oral administration (Figure 21).
Figure 21. Schematic representation of the different routes for nanoparticle drug delivery, with attention to the oral administration and the interactions with the intestinal barrier. Panel (
a): Overview of the main administration routes for nano-drug delivery; Panel (
b): Different enzymes (pepsin, lipase, peptidase, and amylase) located in the gastrointestinal tract can impair nanocarriers stability and their ability to reach the target tissue. The mucus layer also plays an important role in the entrapment of NPs, which may lead to reduced uptake at cellular level. The enterocytes transport mechanisms of NPs can occur through the intestinal cells, either by transcytosis (mediated by endocytic vesicles), or through a direct apical-basolateral passage, or by the paracellular route (passing through the intercellular space). The difference in pH among the stomach, duodenum, and colon represent one of the main challenges in delivering NPs, particularly in order to avoid their premature degradation through the acidic environment. M cells, as part of the GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue), can detect antigens from the intestinal lumen and bring them to antigen presenting cells (APC), which, in turn, are able to present them to B or T lymphocytes located at the mucosal level. The image was created with the use of Servier Medical Art modified templates, licensed under a Creative Common Attribution 3.0 Unported License (
https://smart.servier.com, accessed on 19 February 2022).
There is also another point that needs to be considered, i.e., the presence of multidrug resistance transporters (MDR) in the epithelium, fact which could dampen the total amount of the drug bound to NPs which had been taken up by the enterocytes. In addition to enterocytes, there are other cells in the small intestine, such as goblet cells (localized in the villi), as well as Paneth and stem cells (in the crypts); the former are producing the mucus which covers the intestinal epithelium, whereas Paneth cells are responsible for the production of antimicrobial peptides and immunomodulating proteins. Mucus is a complex hydrogel composed of water and different types of proteins, among which mucins are the most abundant ones. Most mucins are glycosylated, so they have a negative charge, characteristic which could lead to the adhesion of positively charged nanocarriers through electrostatic interactions. This ability of nanocarriers to bind to the mucus layer could be regarded only partially as positive, since the intestinal mucus is structured in two different layers: the first one, nearer to the intestinal lumen, is more loose whereas the layer in contact with the epithelium is firmly adhered. The firm binding of the NPs to the upper layer can, thus, lead to a prompt clearance and to a reduction in the opportunity to reach the epithelium
[3].
1.2. Nanoparticles
The NPs that can interact with the intestine can be divided into different categories, mainly according to the material used to generate them.
Lipid-based nanocarriers have been quite extensively used in drug delivery because of their versatility, biocompatibility and low toxicity profile, and their use by i.v. administration has already been approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA)
[4] (recently reviewed by Halwani). However, the oral route presents a series of advantages, e.g., ease of administration and high patient compliance, and, thus, a large amount of research is now being undergone, aiming at developing the best lipid-based nanocarriers for oral delivery. This task also takes advantage of the fact that most oils and fats used for the development of these nanocarriers derive from dietary lipids, thus facilitating oral permeability and biodegradability. The term lipid-based nanocarrier includes liposomes, self-nano and microemulsifying drug delivery systems, nanoemulsions and nanocapsules.
Liposomes are spherical vesicles constituted by lipid bilayers and an aqueous inner core. Their basic composition is phospholipids and sterols (such as cholesterol), with the latter ones being used in order to stabilize the liposomal membrane. However, different components can be added to this simple structure, such as surfactants, bile acids, or specific ligands that could help the targeting of the liposomes to intestinal cells (see below). Moreover, due to their composition, liposomes can carry hydrophilic molecules into their inner cavity, whereas hydrophobic drugs can be inserted into the lipid bilayer
[5]. Solid lipid NPs are composed by a lipid core (triglycerides, fatty acids or phospholipids) with a monolayer surfactant shell, such as lecithin or bile salt derivatives
[6]. Nanoemulsions are dispersions of an oily and an aqueous phase with the addition of an appropriate surfactant, but due to the percentage of surfactant (3–10%) they are thermodynamically unstable. On the contrary, microemulsions are stabilized by surfactants added in higher concentrations (≥20%), thus making them thermodynamically stable
[7]. Lipid nanocapsules are constituted by an oily phase and an aqueous one, stabilized by surfactants and a polymeric shell. Due to their nature, lipid nanocapsules can present with different biological properties, which depend on their surface characteristics. In fact, the characteristics of the polymeric shell can determine the ability of the NPs to interact with the intestinal environment, in particular with the mucus and/or the enzymes present in the lumen
[8].
MNPs can interact with the intestine either because they are used as therapeutic agents or because they are ingested with food, since they can be used as food preservatives or colouring agents (such as TiO
2)
[9][10]. From the medical point of view, the most extensively utilized are Ag or gold (Au) NPs, but data have also been obtained on palladium, titanium, zinc, and copper ones. Due to their chemical properties, their surface can be easily functionalized to conjugate targeting agents and active biomolecules, and multiple drugs can also be loaded on the same MNP. MNPs have been mainly employed as anticancer agents
[11] or to counteract infections, either bacterial or viral
[12]. Due to their small size MNPs (in particular Ag and Au) can also perform a passive targeting of cancer cells, i.e., reaching them more easily due to the leakiness of the vasculature growing within the tumour mass. Moreover, MNPs, in particular Ag NPs, are extremely reactive and can interact with many cellular components through the induction of ROS, leading to mitochondrial damage and eventually apoptosis. Although this effect could be quite desirable in cancer therapy, it should be definitely avoided in the interaction with normal cells, in this case the enterocytes
[13][14].
Polymeric NPs can be of synthetic origin but also made of natural substances, such as polysaccharides; in a biological setting these latter ones are obviously preferred, since they do not provoke or produce toxic effects. Among the natural polymers, the most commonly used are polysaccharides including chitosan, hyaluronic acid (HA), alginates, etc.; due to their chemical structure, they present both hydrophilic groups (necessary for the solubility in water) but also residues able to interact with biological membranes, as further discussed below
[15] (
Figure 32).
Figure 32. Main nanoparticles functionalization and their intestinal transport. From the left: Schematic representation of mucus penetrating NPs (SDS/PEG), able to penetrate the mucus layer and directly pass through the blood flow. Receptor binding NPs (DOA/PGA/folate/HA/albumin/Fc-fragment) able to bind the cell surface using the ligand-receptor binding and are then internalized in endocytic vesicles and released in the systemic circulation. CPP (cell penetrating peptides) are able to undergo both receptor binding internalization and direct translocation. Muco-adhesive NPs and tight junction opening NPs (chitosan) are able to be retained in the mucus layer, and then undergo transcellular passage or pass through the opened tight junction. Charge-convertible peptides are able to evade the lysosomal degradation using the proton sponge mechanism. SDS: sodium dodecyl sulphate; PEG: polyethylene glycol; CS: chondroitin sulphate; DOA: deoxycholic acid; PGA: poly-glutamic acid; HA: hyaluronic acid. The image was created with the use of Servier Medical Art modified templates, licensed under a Creative Common Attribution 3.0 Unported License (
https://smart.servier.com, accessed on 19 February 2022).
1.3. Nanoparticles—Intestine Interaction
The gastrointestinal tract, as mentioned, represents a harsh environment for drug delivery, since the active component has to survive the low pH but also cross the intestinal barrier, i.e., the mucus layers and the enterocytes. For this reason, NPs can be functionalized, in order to prevent the attack of pH and enzymes or to favour their passage through the intestine in order to have a systemic effect.
The protection from low pH can use polymers that have been already employed in the drug industry, such as all the different formulations of the Eudragit
®, which can be dissolved above specific pHs, thus allowing the drug delivery in the various regions of the gastrointestinal tract, i.e., small intestine or colon
[16]. Other molecules can be used to create a shell, and among them there is alginate, which can provide resistance to low pH and, if associated with other molecules, also to enzyme digestion. Alginate is a linear anionic polymer derived from brown seaweed consisting of β-D-mannuronic acid (M) and α-L-guluronic acid (G) linked by glycosidic bonds
[17]. The monomer composition can affect the general structure of alginate, making it more rigid and with larger pores (thus with a higher release of the drug) or more soft with smaller pores according to a high or low presence of G blocks, respectively
[18][19]. Alginate also responds to pH, and researchers have developed specific emulsions able to swell or shrink according to the environmental pH
[20]; in particular, the presence of low pH will maintain alginate in a stable hydrogel form, thus protecting the associated drug, whereas neutral pH will cause the hydrogel dissolution and the release of the active compound.
Since mucus covers the apical part of the enterocytes, the NPs need to attach to it, but also be able to cross the two different layers in order to reach the enterocytes. In order to design NPs able to deliver their load, several mucus characteristics should be kept in mind; mucins, the main mucus component, contain glycosylated section with negative charges that could bind positively charged NPs, trapping them. Moreover, some part of these proteins are hydrophobic, and this strongly reduces the transport of hydrophobic particles, such as PLGA and polystyrene (PS), which are quite used as NPs. Last but not least, mucins create a sieve-like structure, thus the size of the NPs should also be kept to a minimum.
Substances employed in NPs can interact with the mucus either increasing NPs ability to adhere to it or augmenting their penetration.
One of the most used molecules belonging to the first group is chitosan, a nontoxic, cationic polysaccharide derived from chitin (naturally obtained from marine organisms) which has been approved by FDA for biomedical applications. It is biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-toxic; in addition the presence in its sequence of positively-charged N-acetyl glucosamine units favours the binding to the mucus
[15]. Chitosan is also rich in hydroxyl, amino, and carboxyl groups, which allow a series of chemical modifications that can increase, for example, its water solubility or its stability
[21]. In addition to mucus adhesion, chitosan can induce the opening of the tight junctions, as demonstrated by alteration in the trans-epithelial resistance and by electron microscopy
[22][23][24][25]; these opening has been demonstrated to be reversible, at least in in vitro experiments on Caco2 cells, and associated with a redistribution of claudin-4, an essential component of tight junctions
[26]. This effect is mediated by a direct interaction between positively charged chitosan and negatively charged integrin aVβ3, fact which causes a conformational change of this latter proteins that aggregate along cell boundaries, reorganization of F-actin and a downregulation of claudin-4
[27].
Another molecule widely used in NPs that is able to increase mucus binding is HA, a natural linear glycosaminoglycan, biocompatible, and biodegradable through the action of the host enzymes. Its ability to bind to biological substrates is mediated by the presence of abundant COOH groups
[28] and also by the molecular weight (
MW), with a higher efficiency of the adhesion being observed in presence of a lower
MW [29].
The most used substance which helps the passage of NPs through the mucus is polyethylene glycol (PEG)
[30]; the addition of this component can change, even in an important manner, the ability of the NPs to cross the mucus layer; Xu et al. observed that, in the case of PLGA NPs, a percentage of at least 5% is necessary to reduce the interaction with mucus, and higher PEG concentrations improved the passage
[30]. This could be explained by a “shielding effect” by the PEG molecules, which prevented the interactions between mucin proteins and the NPs core. These data were obtained using a 5 kDa PEG molecule and the authors used as in vivo model mouse vaginal mucosa; the situation could be totally different in the intestine, and also the PEG size could influence the mucus penetration, as demonstrated by Inchaurraga et al., who analysed the effect of different
MW PEGs on the ability of NPs to reach the enterocytes
[31]. Interestingly, better results were obtained using PEG 2000 or 6000, whereas the 10,000 molecule showed a worse performance. Other polymers have been developed, such as poly-N-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylamide (HPMA), a water-soluble polymer with excellent mucus-permeating properties similar to PEG. This compound can dissociate from chitosan NPs during the passage in the mucus, as demonstrated by Liu M et al., but it can also cause an opening of the tight junctions
[32].
To increase the passage through the intestinal barrier there are, in theory, two possibilities, i.e., cause a loosening of the tight junction or increase the uptake of the NPs by the M cells or the enterocytes. Several compounds can actually interfere with the proteins that are forming the junctions sealing off the intestinal content, such as occludins, claudins, and integrins. Natural food compounds can have an effect on the permeability of in vitro systems, as reviewed by Kosińska et al., and, more recently, demonstrated by Haasbroek et al. that focused their attention on aloe extracts that were able to decrease trans-epithelial resistance in a trans-well Caco
2 cell model and increase the passage of 4 kDa dextran
[33][34]. Chen et al. developed an hydrogel able to adhere to the mucosa and, at the same time, to chelate calcium ions, which are essential for the maintenance of the junctions
[35]. They tested these particles, carrying HbS antigen, in mice and were able to demonstrate a higher intestinal immune response compared to the usual vaccination route. Last, but not least, it should be remembered that bacteria causing gastrointestinal disorders are able to secrete toxins acting on the integrity of the tight junctions, causing a damage or a rearrangement of their protein components. Although this kind of intervention could cause the passage of a large quantity of the cargo drug through the barrier, it could be hazardous; for this reason synthetic peptides mimicking the effect of these toxins have been produced. In particular, AT-1002 is a hexamer peptide (FCIGRL) derived from zonula occludens toxin (ZOT) produced by Vibrio cholera
[36]. This toxin is able to bind to a receptor present on the apical portion of the enterocytes, activate protein kinase C and cause a transitory disassemble of the tight junctions. It can be added to other NPs components, such as chitosan, as reported in a delivery system for insulin
[37] that was able to obtain a good glycaemic control in diabetic rats. It must be kept in mind, however, that increasing the permeability of the junctions could also allow the passage of intestinal antigens; further studies on this aspect must be performed in vivo, although a paper by Sonaje et al. failed to detect an increased passage of LPS following chitosan NPs administration
[38].
The passage through cells, either M or enterocytes, could be increased by adding to the NPs peptides that are able to interact with specific receptors present of the apical part of the cells. As regards M cells, studies in mice demonstrated that various types of lectins added to NPs can increase the uptake due to their ability to interact with cellular α-L-fucose moieties
[39][40]; unfortunately, these specific moieties are not present on human cells, thus NPs should be functionalized with other peptides. Among them, the Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (GRGDS) pentapeptide could be a good candidate, since it binds B1 integrins, present also on human cells. Up to now, it has only been evaluated in a human cell model (Caco2 + Raji), and demonstrated able to increase the passage through Raji cells
[41]. Last but not least the route through which NPs can reach other organs can be important in order to avoid the hepatic first pass; for this reason, NPs can be designed to use the lymphatic system, and this means that intestinal absorption should occur through M cells.
As regards enterocytes, several receptors have been described on the apical surface, and known enterocyte-targeting ligands include lectins, transferrin, vitamins, oligopeptides, and monoclonal antibody fragments as summarized in
Table 1. The cell entry could also occur through the action of some specific peptides, identified as cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs), that are able to allow the attachment and penetration of the NPs (such as Trans-Activator of Transcription (TAT)), or through a classical receptor-mediated endocytotic process (
Table 1 and
Figure 32 and
Figure 43)
[42].
Figure 43. Graphical representation of receptor/ligand NPs interactions in the intestine. Functionalized receptor-binding NPs are able to bind the cell membrane through the binding of the NP (ligand) to the receptor on the cell surface and then to undergo the endocytotic process. Trans-Activator of Transcription (TAT) is the only mentioned ligand that undergoes direct penetration. CS: chondroitin sulphate; FXR: farnesoid X receptor; HA: hyaluronic acid; KPV: lysine-proline-valine; PEST1: peptide transporter1; PGA: polyglutamic acid; TFR: transferrin receptor. The image was created with the use of Servier Medical Art modified templates, licensed under a Creative Common Attribution 3.0 Unported License (
https://smart.servier.com, accessed on 19 February 2022).
Table 1.
Main receptor-ligand interactions used for NPs functionalization in the intestine.
Reference |
Receptor |
Ligand |
Cell Type Expression |
Direct Penetration |
Endocytosis |
Hua S 2020 [43 |
Li L 2017 | ] |
[58Mannose Receptor |
Mannose |
Macrophages, Enterocytes, M cells |
No |
Yes |
] |
Chitosan |
CPP |
n/a |
Yes |
Tian 2018 [44] |
CD44 |
HA/CS |
Macrophages, Intestinal Epithelial Cells |
No |
Yes |
Wu J-Z 2017 [59] |
diethylene glycol dimethacrylate |
n/a |
phenylboronic acid |
Yes |
Xiao, 2018 [45] |
CD98 |
CD98 Fab’/single chain CD98 Ab |
Alfatama 2018 [60 | Intestinal |
| Epithelial Cells, Macrophages |
No |
] |
Alginate/Chitosan | Yes |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Peng L, 2021 [46] |
F4/80 |
F4/80 Ab Fab’ |
Macrophages |
No |
Yes |
Liu W, 2018 [47] |
Macrophage Galactose Receptor |
Lactobionic Acid |
Macrophages |
No |
Yes |
Xi Z 2022, Álvarez-González, 2020 [48][49] |
Czuba 2018 [61] |
PLGA |
SDS |
n/a |
Yes |
Folate Receptor |
Folate |
Fan 2018 [62] |
Chitosan |
Deoxycholic acid |
Macrophages, Epithelial Cancer Cells |
No |
Yes |
n/a |
Yes |
Hou 2018 [63] |
Mesoporous silica nanoparticle |
n/a |
phenylboronic acid |
Yes |
Yong, 2019
|
Jamshidi 2018 [64] | [50] |
Transferrin Receptor |
TFR Ab/Seven peptides |
ChitosanIntestinal Epithelial Cells |
No |
n/a |
n/a | Yes |
Yes |
Zhang W, 2021 [51] |
PEST1 |
KPV |
Ji N 2018 [65] | Macrophages, Intestinal |
Zein + CSA |
|
n/aEpithelial Cells |
No |
Yes |
n/a |
n/a |
Liu L, 2018 [52] |
Mannose Receptor |
TAT |
Intestinal Epithelial Cells, Macrophages |
Yes |
No |
Liu L 2018 [52] |
Azevedo, 2020 [53] |
FcRn IgG |
Albumin |
Intestinal Epithelial Cells |
No |
Yes |
Huang X, 2021 [54] |
FXR |
Deoxycolic Acid |
Intestinal Epithelial Cells |
No |
Yes |
Urimi, 2019 [55] |
Calcium Sensing Receptor |
PGA |
Intestinal Epithelial Cells |
No |
Yes |
Various bacteria-derived peptides can also be used, since they are recognized by TLR4, but these peptides carry the risk of activating the intestinal immune system. Li et al. recently evaluated the possibility of employing a non-toxic form of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A associated with alginate/chitosan particles; the presence of the exotoxin favoured the transcitosis, but the in vivo administration of these NPs to rats showed that they co-localized with CD11c+ cells, which have an important role in intestinal immune response
[56]. In all cases, the NPs and their cargos should be vehiculated to the basolateral side of the cells, thus requiring transcytosis (
Figure 21b and
Figure 32). This step should not be regarded as trivial, since there is the risk that the fusion of endocytotic vesicles with lysosomes damages the NPs, both in its structure or inactivating the carried drug. For this reason, some researchers developed NPs associated with charge-convertible peptides
[48][57]. The presence of these components allows the NPs to survive the acidic pH of late endosomes, since they can act as “sponge” for H+ ions. Last, but not least, the NPs have to cross the basolateral membranes of enterocytes and be released into the circulation; interestingly, Xi et al. observed that the addition of the charge-convertible peptides increased the interaction of the NPs with the proton-coupled oligopeptide transporter present in the basolateral membrane, thus boosting the exocytosis
[48]. The interactions between NPs and the intestine could be subdivided in three main categories, i.e., the use of NPs to deliver systemic drugs, which implies the passage through the intestinal barrier and reaching the blood or lymphatic flow, NPs as carriers for drugs that should act on the intestinal mucosa or the “involuntary” interaction due to NPs used as food additives. In this
entr
eview, wey, researchers are going to discuss some examples in each category, pointing out advantages and pitfalls.
2. Nanoparticles for Systemic Drug Delivery
The possibility to deliver drugs through the intestinal route rather than using other more invasive ways has been quite captivating for various pharma products, in particular anti-cancer drugs or vaccines. However, due to the large number of the employed molecules and the great differences among the NPs,
wresearche
rs decided to focus on a single molecule tackling another disorder, i.e., insulin. Due to the high social impact of diabetes and the need to administer the drug few times during the day, several groups throughout the world have been involved in the development of NPs able to provide the oral delivery of recombinant insulin.
The most used cores for NPs are polymers, either natural or synthetic ones; among the natural polymers there is chitosan, either alone or in combination with alginate; these NPs have some characteristics that make them suitable for insulin delivery, such as biodegradability, nontoxicity, muco-adhesiveness, and low immunogenicity, as previously described (see
Table 2). Other employed natural polymers are HA, albumin, starch (amylose), zein, and lignin, as reported in
Table 2.
Table 2.
Summary of the different NPs and functionalization for the delivery of insulin.
Reference |
Core of the NPs |
Further Functionalization for Adhesion/Passage |
Release Control |
Reduces Glycaemia in Animal Model |
Chitosan + hydrogel |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Song M 2018 [66] |
Cyclodextrin/chitosan |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Tian 2018 [44] |
Chitosan/hyaluronic acid |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Wang W 2018 [67] |
Polyamidoamine/polyaspartic acid/phenylboronic acid/PEG |
PEG |
phenylboronic acid |
Yes |
Xu Y 2018 [68] |
solid lipid nanoparticle + endosomal escape agent |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Zhang Y 2018 [69] |
hydroxyapatite |
PEG |
n/a |
Yes |
Zhang L. 2018 [70] |
PLGA + chitosan + alginate |
n/a |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Alsulays 2019 [71] |
Solid lipid nanoparticles |
CPP |
n/a |
Yes |
Guo 2019 [72] |
Chitosan |
CPP |
n/a |
yes |
Hu 2019 [73] |
phospholipids |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Jamwal 2019 [74] |
dextran |
n/a |
Glucose oxidase |
n/a |
Ji 2019 [75] |
Chitosan/zein-carboxymethylated short-chain amylose |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Mohammadpour 2019 [76] |
PLGA + chitosan |
n/a |
Glucose oxidase |
Yes |
Muntoni 2019 [77] |
Lipid nanoparticles |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Mudassir 2019 [78] |
Methyl methacrylate/itaconic acid nanogels |
n/a |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Tsai 2019 [79] |
Chitosan + fucoidan |
n/a |
pH dependent |
n/a |
Urimi 2019 [55] |
Chitosan |
Polyglutamic acid |
n/a |
Yes |
Azevedo 2020 [53] |
Albumin |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Bai 2020 [80] |
PLGA + glutamic acid conjugated amphiphilic dendrimer |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Chai 2020 [81] |
Poly (acrylamido phenylboronic acid)/sodium alginate |
n/a |
Cicloborate (Glucose sensing) and glucose oxidase |
Yes |
Chen Z 2020 [82] |
Chitosan/Hyaluronic acid |
CPP |
n/a |
Yes |
Cheng 2020 [83] |
Poly (n-butylcyanoacrylate) |
Ratio insulin/Poly (n-butylcyanoacrylate) |
Ratio insulin/Poly (n-butylcyanoacrylate) |
Yes |
Ding 2020 [84] |
amphiphilic cholesterol- phosphate conjugate |
n/a |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Han X 2020 [85] |
Zwitterionic micelles |
Betaine |
n/a |
Yes |
Jana 2020 [86] |
hyaluronic acid |
n/a |
Glucose oxidase |
n/a |
Mumuni 2020 [87] |
Chitosan/mucin |
n/a |
n/a |
yes |
Sladek 2020 [88] |
Hyaluronic acid/chitosan |
Sucrose laurate |
n/a |
Yes |
Sudhakar 2020 [89] |
Chitosan |
n/a |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Tan X 2020 [90] |
Mesoporous silica |
PEG + CPP |
n/a |
Yes |
Wang T 2020 [91] |
Lipid nanoparticles |
n/a |
n/a |
Yes |
Zhou S 2020 [92] |
Chitosan |
PC6 |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Zhou X 2020 [93] |
Alginate |
n/a |
Glucose oxidase |
Yes |
Zhou Y 2020 [94] |
FeCl3·6H2O + BTC |
SDS |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Bao X 2021 [95] |
Zein/casein-dextran |
Cholic acid |
n/a |
Yes |
Benyettou 2021 [96] |
Nanoscale imine-linked covalent organic frameworks |
n/a |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Cui 2021 [97] |
Chitosan + Hyaluronic acid |
Biotin |
n/a |
Yes |
Huang X 2021 [54] |
layered double hydroxide nanoparticle + hyaluronic acid |
Deoxycholic acid |
n/a |
Yes |
Kim WJ 2021 [98] |
POSS-APBA |
n/a |
phenylboronic acid |
n/a |
Li H 2021 [99] |
polyphosphoesters-based copolymer |
n/a |
phenylboronic acid |
Yes |
Li J 2021 [100] |
Alginate/chitosan |
n/a |
pH dependent |
Yes |
Liu X 2021 [101] |
PLGA/PEG |
Angiopep-2 |
n/a |
Yes |
Qin 2021 [102] |
Mesoporous silica + Alginate + Boronic acid Mesoporous silica + Chitosan + boronic acid |
n/a |
phenylboronic acid |
Yes |
Rao 2021 [103] |
Porous silicon nanoparticles |
Zwitterionic dodecyl sulfobetaine |
n/a |
Yes |
Volpatti 2021 [104] |
Polycation |
n/a |
Glucose oxidase |
Yes |
Wang W 2021 [105] |
PLGA |
Chitosan + Cholanic acid |
n/a |
Yes |
Zhang Y 2021 [106] |
mesoporous silica nanoparticles |
CPP |
n/a |
Yes |
Fu 2022 [107] |
Glycopolymer |
n/a |
phenylboronic acid |
Yes |
Li J 2022 [108] |
PLGA-Hyd-PEG |
PEG |
n/a |
Yes |
Martins 2022 [109] |
Lignin-encapsulated silicon |
Fc fragment of IgG |
pH dependent |
n/a |
Reboredo 2022 [110] |
Zein |
PEG |
n/a |
Yes |
Rohra 2022 [111] |
Gold nanoparticle-encapsulated zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 |
n/a |
Glucose oxidase |
n/a |
Xi Z 2022 [48] |
PLGA/PEG |
PEG, folate and charge-convertible tripeptide |
n/a |
Yes |
Xu 2022 [112] |
konjac glucomannan/concanavalin A |
n/a |
Glucose sensing |
Yes |