Perspectives of Toxicity Associated with Nanocarrier Systems

The utility and diversified applications of various nanocarrier systems have led to the development of a wide variety of formulations with smart properties. Although these formulations offer several advantages over traditional delivery systems such as site-specific, time-dependent and controlled delivery of the medicaments but unfortunately the toxicological behavior of these has remained unexplored. There are several reports in the literature that have described the significant toxicity in major organs of animals. This toxicity has majorly associated with the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), elevation/ reduction in biomarker levels, induction of apoptosis and several other molecular changes. In this short compilation, we have summarized some toxicity reports which have been based on pre-clinical evidences and attributed to multiple organs of animals. These include the kidney, heart, lungs, liver and GIT prominently. Also, we have made an attempt to highlight the mechanism of the reported toxicity along with the toxic dose. This compilation may be helpful to drug developers and researchers to understand these issues and to design newer strategies during formulation to bypass these complications.