Micro- and Nanoemulsion-Based Systems for Controlled and Targeted Drug Delivery
A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: controlled drug release; drug targeting; nanomedicine
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: nanocrystals; quality by design; nose-to-brain delivery; nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to submit original research papers and review articles for this Special Issue entitled “Micro- and Nanoemulsion-Based Systems for Controlled and Targeted Drug Delivery.”
Micro- and nanoemulsions are among the most versatile and promising carriers in modern pharmaceutical and health product technology. Their ability to solubilize poorly water-soluble active compounds, enhance permeability, and provide controlled and targeted release makes them key tools in the design of effective therapeutic formulations. Their crucial control of droplet size, interfacial properties, and composition enables these systems to improve bioavailability and minimize adverse effects across different routes of administration.
In recent years, self-microemulsifying drug delivery systems (SMEDDS) and self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS) have attracted considerable attention as innovative and robust delivery approaches. These anhydrous systems spontaneously form emulsions or nanoemulsions upon contact with aqueous media, simplifying formulation design and improving stability and in vivo performance. Advances in lipid selection, surfactant combinations, and formulation optimization are driving the evolution of these self-emulsifying platforms for oral, ocular, pulmonary, transdermal, and parenteral delivery.
Moreover, the implementation of quality by design (QbD) principles in developing these systems allows researchers to better understand the relationship between formulation components, process parameters, and critical quality attributes. This science-based approach facilitates the creation of reproducible, scalable, and high-quality emulsion systems, accelerating their translation from research to clinical application.
This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality contributions highlighting recent advances in the formulation, characterization, and application of micro- and nanoemulsion-based systems, including SMEDDS and SNEDDS. Both experimental and theoretical studies, as well as short reviews of these topics, are welcome, focusing on understanding the mechanics, methods for performance evaluation, and translational potential of these systems.
Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Formulation design and optimization of micro-, nano-, and self-emulsifying systems;
- Physico-chemical characterization and stability assessment;
- Controlled and targeted drug delivery applications;
- Functionalized and stimuli-responsive emulsions;
- In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo characterization;
- Scale-up and regulatory considerations.
We look forward to receiving your contributions and to advancing the scientific and technological frontiers of emulsion-based drug delivery systems.
Prof. Dr. Rosario Pignatello
Dr. Angela Bonaccorso
Dr. Elide Zingale
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceutics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- nanoemulsion
- microemulsion
- SNEDDS
- quality by design (QbD)
- surfactants
- functionalization
- drug release
- emulsion stability
- droplet size control
- interfacial properties
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