Harnessing Functionalized Nano Lipid Carriers for Cardioprotection: Dual Drug Delivery in Focus for Precision Therapeutics

OBJECTIVE: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of global mortality, accounting for approximately 17.9 million deaths worldwide in 2019, with nearly 85% caused by heart attacks and strokes. Despite significant advancements in conventional pharmacotherapy, challenges such as poor bioavailability, non-specific drug targeting, rapid degradation, and limited therapeutic efficacy continue to hinder effective cardiovascular treatment. This review aims to explore the potential of nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) as advanced drug delivery systems for cardioprotection, with special emphasis on dual drug-loaded and functionalized NLC strategies. SIGNIFICANCE OF REVIEW: NLCs, composed of blends of solid and liquid lipids, have emerged as promising nanocarriers due to their enhanced drug loading capacity, controlled release behaviour, improved drug solubility, and excellent biocompatibility. Surface functionalization of NLCs with specific targeting ligands enables site-specific delivery to cardiovascular tissues, thereby minimizing systemic toxicity and improving therapeutic outcomes. Furthermore, the incorporation of dual therapeutic agents within a single NLC platform offers synergistic cardioprotective effects and enhanced treatment efficiency. KEY FINDINGS: The review highlights recent advancements in ligand-functionalized and dual drug-loaded NLC systems for cardiovascular therapy. These nanocarriers demonstrate improved pharmacokinetic profiles, sustained drug release, enhanced tissue targeting, and reduced off-target effects. Additionally, individualized NLC-based formulations tailored to patient-specific therapeutic requirements show significant promise in precision cardiovascular medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Functionalized dual drug-loaded NLCs represent a novel and promissing strategy for improving cardioprotective therapy. Their ability to enhance targeted delivery, therapeutic efficacy, and patient safety positions them as a transformative platform for future cardiovascular disease management, pending preclinical and clinical validation.