Table 2.

Advantages and limitations of various nanocarriers

Types of nanocarriers	Advantages	Disadvantages
Nano fibers	Simple equipment	Limited to specific polymers, toxic solvents, not scalable
Polymeric nanoparticles	Biodegradable, biocompatible, targeted drug delivery, low toxicity	Low loading capacity
Liposomes	Loaded both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, easily fuse with cell membrane, low toxicity, biocompatible	Low capacity, instability
Solid-lipid nanoparticles	Good tolerability, ease to scale-up, low cost, high physical stability	Drug expulsion, unpredictable agglomeration, premature release
Gold nanoparticles	Easy to modify, can be prepared in broad size range	Optical signal not strong, toxicity, tumor targeting efficiency low