Table 1.

Advantages and limitations of nanocarrier systems.

Nanocarrier	Advantages	Limitations	References
Liposomes	Ability to carry either, hydrophilic or hydrophobic drugs, biocompatible, biodegradable, stable, possibility of surface functionalization	Toxic because the drug can be leaked or displaced into the blood stream; High production cost	[72]
Polymeric nanoparticles	Biocompatible, low toxicity, biodegradable, cost-effectives, possible surface functionalization, avoids leakage of the drug	Difficult to scale up	[73,74]
Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)	Protect drug against harsh environmental conditions, easy scale up, biocompatible	Low drug-loading efficacy due to its crystalline structure, there is a chance of drug expulsion during the storage of the crystalline structure and initial burst release can occur	[75,76]
Nanoemulsions	Stable, Carry both hydrophobic and lipophilic drugs	Toxicity of surfactants	[77]
Metallic nanoparticles	Antibacterial, Antifungal properties, Stable, Uniform structure	Toxicity	[78]