USE OF BIODEGRADABLE MICRO AND NANO-PARTICLES IN VACCINE DELIVERY

Abstract

Effective immunizations in recent years become most important in terms of new antigens, adjuvants and routes of vaccination. Vaccination by oral route remains the preferred route for both patients and practitioners. To improve the bioavailability of peptides, proteins and antigens, they are associated with colloidal carrier e.g. polymeric nanoparticles. Synthetic polymers are choosen for longer duration of drug release, but they are limited by the use of organic solvents and relatively harsher formulation conditions. Amongst the different classes of biodegradable polymers, the thermoplastic aliphatic poly (esters) like poly (lactide) (PLA), poly (glycolide) (PGA), and especially the copolymer of lactide and glycolide, poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) have generated immense interest due to their favorable properties such as good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and mechanical strength. Also, they are easy to formulate into different devices for carrying a variety of drug classes such as vaccines, peptides, proteins, and micromolecules. Also, they have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for drug delivery. In this mini-review, various formulation aspects of these biodegradable polymers, in the micro and nano range, were discussed.