Carrageenan-based nanoparticles for drug delivery: A systematic review

Carrageenans, sulfated polysaccharides isolated from red seaweed, have gained attention as a versatile material for nanoparticle-based drug delivery: they are biocompatible and biodegradable and can form responsive nanostructures. The growing number of studies on carrageenan-based nanocarriers makes a systematic review essential for synthesizing current knowledge, identifying gaps, and guiding future research and clinical translation efforts. This systematic review, conducted under the PRISMA guidelines, evaluates 19 studies that addressed the design, physicochemical properties, and therapeutic applications of carrageenan-based nanoparticles. Most of the studies employed κ-carrageenan, while some used chemically modified forms of carrageenans to enhance drug encapsulation and to control drug release. The carrageenan-based nanocarriers cited herein can entrap drugs, respond to changes in pH, and potentially deliver drugs at target sites, particularly during antimicrobial and anticancer therapies. In general, the carrageenan-based nanoparticles are spherical, with diameters ranging from tens to hundreds of nanometers. Despite promising translational results, carrageenan-based nanoformulations are heterogeneous, which has prevented studies from being directly compared. In addition, most studies have been carried out in vitro. The findings highlight that carrageenans are potential natural nanocarriers and emphasize that further in vivo validation and standardized approaches are needed to advance their clinical translation. Download: Download high-res image (380KB) Download: Download full-size image