Schematic showing two possible mechanisms of epigenetic drugs being delivered via nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are taken into the cell by pinocytosis and enter an endosome. After endosomal escape two different paths are illustrated. The nanoparticle loaded with pre-miR releases its contents in the cytoplasm and is processed by Dicer. Next, it interacts with RISC to either degrade the target mRNA or inhibit its translation. The nanoparticle loaded with HDAC inhibitor drug enters the nucleus and releases the drug. There it blocks the action of HDAC causing an increase in transcription. Abbreviations: pre-miR, precursor miRNA; RISC, RNA-induced silencing complex; HDAC, histone deacetylase inhibitor; TFC, transcription factor complex.