Table 6.

Characterization, target indications, drug release pattern, and cytotoxicity of albumin and functionalized albumin nanoparticles prepared by self-assembly

Albumin used	Conjugating or disulfide reducing agent	Drug or antioxidant loaded	Self-assembly strategy	Target indication	Outcome or applications	Reference
HSA	β-Mercaptoethanol (β-ME)	Paclitaxel (PTX)	Disulfide bond breaking	Breast cancer (MCF-7 and A549 cell lines)	Particle diameter: 120 nm, ZP: −30.0 mV, DEE: 100%, DLC: 20% More stability and enhanced cytotoxicity toward MCF-7 and A549 cells • Longer survival of H22-bearing mice	[90]
HSA	Dithiothreitol (DTT)	Curcumin (CUR)	Disulfide bond breaking	H22 tumor-bearing mice	Particle diameter: 100 nm, DEE: 92%, DLC: 4% Initial 45% burst, followed by 100% release of CUR in >24 h • Enhanced accumulation of NPs in the cytoplasm of tumor cells • Accumulation of NPs in H22-bearing mice (at tumor sites), reaches the peak level after 28 h	[91]
BSA	Cholesterol	Paclitaxel (PTX)	Covalent conjugate	Breast cancer (B16F10 and MCF-7 cell lines)	Particle diameter: 146 nm, ZP: −20.0 mV, DEE: 95%, DLC: 38% Enhanced cellular uptake and cytotoxicity toward B16F10 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines • Much slower and prolonged release of PTX Longer survival of tumor-bearing mine	[92]
BSA	Aptamer AS1411	Doxorubicin (DOX)	Hydrophobic drug interaction	Breast cancer (MCF-7 cell line)	Particle diameter: 163 nm, ZP: −20.7 mV DEE: 78%, DLC: 4.4% Aptamer AS1411: for specific targeting as receptors are overexpressed on tumor cells • Increased cytotoxicity due to enhanced cellular uptake in MCF-7 cells	[93]
BSA	–	Curcumin (CUR)	Hydrophobic drug interaction	–	Particle diameter: 110 nm, DEE: 89%, DLC: 7% Ionic strength is the key parameter for nanoparticle production • Strong antioxidant activity and effective and neuroprotective effects on neuronal HT22 cells	[94]
HSA	PEG	Paclitaxel (PTX)	Covalent conjugation (film casting method)	Human breast cancer cell lines (SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-453 and MCF-7), SK-BR-3 tumor-bearing mice	Particle diameter: 280 nm, DEE: 86%, DLC: 8.7% Enhanced solubility and sustained release of PTX Prolonged and systemic circulation of nanoparticles after intravenous injection • Higher cytotoxicity in human breast cancer cell lines (SK-BR-3, MDA-MB-453, and MCF-7)	[95]

^†Particle diameters are approximate; BSA, bovine serum albumin; DEE, drug entrapment efficiency (approximate); DLC, drug-loading capacity (approximate); HSA, human serum albumin; NPs, nanoparticles; PEG, polyethylene glycol; ZP, zeta potential.