A.P. Ayre*et al. /International Journal Of Pharmacy&Technology IJPT| March-2014 | Vol. 5 | Issue No.4 | 2809-2823 Page 2809 ISSN: 0975-766X CODEN: IJPTFI Available through Online Review Article www.ijptonline.com POLYMERIC NANOPARTICLES IN DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEMS CRITICAL REVIEW AND CONCEPTS A.P. Ayre*, H. A. Pawar, N. M. Khutle, K. G. Lalitha Research Scholar, Department of Pharmaceutics, Ultra College of Pharmacy, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Professor & H. O. D. Department of Pharm. Chemistry, Ultra College of Pharmacy, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: anitaayre@gmail.com Received on 04-12-2013 Accepted on 26-12-2013 Abstract Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems seem to be a viable and promising strategy for the biopharmaceutical industry. In particular of interest are polymeric nanoparticles have attracted the interest of many research groups and have been utilized in an increasing number of fields during the last decades. They have been used frequently as drug delivery vehicles due to their grand bioavailability, better encapsulation, controlled release and less toxic properties. Various nanoparticulate systems, types of polymers used, fate of the polymeric nanoparticles in vivo, control release and improvement of therapeutic value of nanoencapsulated drugs are highlighted in the current review. Keywords: Biodegradable polymers, drug delivery, nanocarriers, polymeric nanoparticles, Introduction In comparison to solid lipid nanoparticles or nanosuspensions polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) consists of a biodegradable polymer. Biocompatibility is an essential feature for potential application as tissue engineering, drug and gene delivery and new vaccination strategies. Most biodegradable polymers consists of synthetic polyesters like polycyanoacrylate 1 or poly (D, L-lactide) and related polymers like poly(lactid acid) (PLA) or poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) to give a few examples. Latest developments also include natural polymers like chitosan 2 , gelatine 3, 4 , and sodium alginate 5 to overcome some toxicological problems with the synthetic polymers. PNPs represent a significant improvement over traditional oral and intravenous methods of administration in terms of efficiency and effectiveness 6 . The advantages of using PNPs in drug delivery are many, the most important being that they generally increase the stability of any volatile pharmaceutical agents and that they are easily and cheaply fabricated