A Comprehensive Review on Nanostructured Lipid Carriers

Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) mark a pivotal evolution in lipid-based drug delivery, surpassing the constraints of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) to optimize therapeutic performance. Formulated with a mix of solid and liquid lipids, NLCs disrupt the rigid crystalline structure of SLNs, facilitating enhanced drug encapsulation, greater stability, and tailored release kinetics for both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds. This review thoroughly examines NLCs, detailing their composition, scalable production methods, and assessment techniques. Employing biodegradable lipids and surfactants, NLCs enable environmentally sustainable manufacturing without organic solvents, ensuring biocompatibility and safety. Their adaptability supports a wide range of biomedical uses, such as targeted drug delivery, gene therapy, and vaccine development, enhancing patient adherence and clinical outcomes. The review also explores recent patents and innovative advancements, highlighting NLCs’ potential to transform pharmaceutical formulations. Despite obstacles like long-term stability and regulatory challenges, continuous progress in lipid nanotechnology establishes NLCs as a robust platform for next-generation drug carriers. This work illuminates the interplay of stability, functionality, and safety in NLC development, providing insights into their revolutionary impact on modern pharmaceutics and their capacity to meet unaddressed clinical demands. Keywords: Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs), lipid-based drug delivery, targeted drug delivery, gene therapy and vaccine development