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Pharmaceutics
Special Issues
Innovations in Drug Delivery: Tackling Challenges and Exploring Emerging Trends
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Innovations in Drug Delivery: Tackling Challenges and Exploring Emerging Trends

A special issue of Pharmaceutics (ISSN 1999-4923). This special issue belongs to the section "Drug Delivery and Controlled Release".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 514

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Stefano Tacconi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology and Biotechnology “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: drug delivery; nanomedicine; nanoformulation
Dr. Nicola Manfrini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, 20133 Milan, Italy
Interests: drug delivery; cancer therapy; metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue explores the evolving landscape of drug delivery, critically examining current challenges, technological constraints, and emerging trends that shape the future of pharmaceutical therapeutics. It offers a comprehensive analysis of four key categories of innovation in this field: drug delivery devices, intelligent systems, coupling-based approaches, and carrier-based targeted delivery mechanisms. Each is discussed in relation to its strategic intent and underlying methodology. With the convergence of pharmacy, materials science, and biomedicine, new opportunities have arisen for developing safer and more effective drug formulations, such as bio-based nanoformulations (i.e., extracellular vesicles). Despite their promise, concerns about the toxicity, immunogenicity, and long-term safety of certain nanocarriers must be carefully addressed. This Special Issue presents a curated overview of recent advances in drug delivery systems, alongside a critical evaluation of the technological hurdles and research gaps that remain in translating innovations into clinical applications. We invite original research and reviews on the preparation, characterization, application, and regulation of organic, inorganic, composite, and novel bio-based nanodrug delivery systems.

Dr. Stefano Tacconi
Dr. Nicola Manfrini
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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

  • nanoformulations
  • drug delivery
  • nanocytotoxicity
  • nanomedicine
  • bio-based nanoformulations

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

13 pages, 2191 KB  
Article
Microvesicles from Turmeric Extracts Contain Curcuminoids and Modulate Macrophage Polarization and Migration
by Stefano Tacconi, Audrey Jalabert, Emmanuelle Berger, César Cotte, Elizabeth Errazuriz-Cerda, Valérie Bardot, Anne Leblanc, Lucile Berthomier, Michel Dubourdeaux and Sophie Rome
Pharmaceutics 2025, 17(12), 1555; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmaceutics17121555 - 3 Dec 2025
Viewed by 340
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Recent studies have revealed that plants produce lipid-derived microvesicles with potent anti-inflammatory properties. In turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), such microvesicles have been identified in rhizome juice and shown to exert beneficial effects in murine models of colitis. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Recent studies have revealed that plants produce lipid-derived microvesicles with potent anti-inflammatory properties. In turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), such microvesicles have been identified in rhizome juice and shown to exert beneficial effects in murine models of colitis. In this study, we investigated whether turmeric extracts commonly used in phytotherapy (30% ethanolic or aqueous extracts, and freeze-dried or spray-dried preparations) contain Curcuma-derived microvesicles (CuMVs), and we evaluated the influence of extraction processes on their aggregation and morphology. Methods: All extracts were processed using a standardized protocol involving differential centrifugation, filtration, and ultracentrifugation. CuMVs with sizes from 50 to 200 nm were detected in all pellets, but CuMVs from dehydrated extracts were markedly aggregated compared to those from liquid preparations. Results: The 30% ethanolic extract yielded the most polydisperse CuMVs and was therefore selected for functional immunomodulatory analyses on macrophages. Protein quantification indicated that 600 mL of 30% ethanolic extract contained approximately 60 µg of CuMVs which contained curcumin and its derivatives demethoxycurcumin (DMC), and bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC) identified by high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). Green fluorescence in the form of small dots close to the nuclei was detected in recipient THP-1 macrophages, indicating the incorporation of CuMVs and therefore the transfer of the naturally fluorescent curcumin. CuMV treatment reduced ROS production, downregulated CD86, and upregulated CD163 expression. Furthermore, CuMVs increased the expression of IL-10 and TGF-β, as well as antibacterial cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), and enhanced RAW macrophage migration. Depletion of CuMVs from turmeric extracts markedly reduced their immunomodulatory effects. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings emphasize the importance of preserving CuMVs during the industrial processing of turmeric, as they play a crucial role in curcuminoid delivery and in mediating the immunomodulatory properties of turmeric extracts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovations in Drug Delivery: Tackling Challenges and Exploring Emerging Trends)
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