Published Paper Details:

Poor aqueous solubility remains a major challenge in pharmaceutical drug development, resulting in low and variable bioavailability, inconsistent therapeutic responses, and formulation difficulties for many drug candidates. Conventional solubility enhancement techniques such as salt formation, micronization, solid dispersions, cyclodextrin complexation, and surfactant-based systems often provide limited or unstable improvements, particularly for highly lipophilic drugs. In this context, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have emerged as an effective and versatile approach to improve the solubility, dissolution rate, and bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. By reducing drug particle size to the nanometer range and employing carrier-based strategies, nanoparticles enhance surface area, wettability, saturation solubility, and drug absorption while also enabling controlled drug release and protection from degradation. This review critically discusses the physicochemical causes of poor drug solubility, limitations of conventional delivery systems, and the rationale for nanoparticle-based formulations. Various nanoparticle platforms, including nanocrystals, nanosuspensions, lipid-based and polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, nano-emulsions, and hybrid systems, are evaluated along with recent advances in formulation technologies, characterization, regulatory considerations, and future perspectives.