Table 2.

Characteristics of particulate drug delivery systems

Carrier	Size range (nm)	Preparation method	Advantages for drug delivery	Disadvantages for drug delivery	Ref.
Liposomes and polymerosomes	10-2000	Self-assembly in aqueous solutions	High drug-carrying capacity Good for hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs Surface functionalization possible Simple preparation	Batch-to-batch variability Difficulties in sterilization	[123,135,138,141,143,150,161,178]
Microbubbles	10-1000	Various depending on type	Surface functionalization possible	Not good for hydrophobic drugs Low drug-carrying capacity	[145-148,166,168,179]
Polymeric micelles	10-100	Direct organization or controlled aggregation in solvent	Long blood circulation time Surface functionalization possible Simple preparation	Not good for hydrophobic drugs Low drug-carrying capacity	[123,136,137,155,158]
Nanoparticles and nanospheres	10-100	Nanoparticles: Polymerization of monomers by emulsion Nanospheres: Interfacial polymerization and phase inversion with polymeric emulsions	Shape, size and mechanical properties tunable Possibility for controlled release	Toxicity of residual chemicals from preparation process Limited cellular uptake and degradation	[123,126,128,139,150,151,155,180]
Dendrimeres	1-10	Convergent or divergent synthesis	High functionalized surface	Difficult preparation process Toxicity	[123,154,156]