Limitations of Nanocarriers Such as Cell and Tissue Toxicity, Genotoxicity, Scale-Up of Nanomaterials

Due to drug resistance by the bacteria and systematic toxicity of classical medicines, a new range of medicines is being researched, termed as "Nanomedicine". Nanomedicine is the use of nanomaterials for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of diseases. Nanomaterials are such materials, which have at least one dimension in Nanoscale range (one billionth of a metre). Nanomaterials are gaining worth due to large surface area and greater surface to volume ratio. Furthermore, the nanomaterials are being researched in the field of Nanobiotechnology, due to enhanced optical, physiochemical and biomedical applications. The nanomaterials are being used for their potential anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and drug loading capability. While, to make target specific, nanomaterials are surface modified with anti-bodies, proteins and siRNA for enhanced drug delivery and reduced systematic toxicity, still, there are various aspects need to be answered, including toxicity and other limitations faced by nanomedicine. The current chapter is to investigate various limitations faced by nanomaterials when being used for drug delivery purposes.