Figure 1.

A schematic of the nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery process [10]. (a) A solution containing nanoparticle delivery platforms is injected into a patient's circulatory system [11]. (b) In the microvasculature, nanoparticles are segregated from red blood cells, increasing their interaction with the endothelium, eventually leading to their removal from circulation [12]. (c) Nanoparticles diffuse through the extracellular matrix, eventually adsorbing onto the surface of a target cell. The nanoparticles are then endocytosed from the lipid membrane. (d) The endosome containing the drug delivery complex ruptures, releasing the therapeutic agents into the cytoplasm. When released from the endosome, the nanoparticle cargo may be dissociated due to the local pH environment change.