A review of glycosylated carriers for drug delivery

Carbohydrates not only represent a vast potential as structure building blocks of living cells but also have proved as a promising candidate for drug delivery. Glycosylation of nanocarriers instructs some gratifying characteristic, which leads to the evolution of promising delivery systems. Some path-breaking advantages of glycosylated carriers include the engineered release profile of bioactives when introduced into biological system. Being natural product of living system these carriers also upshots as a multifaceted drug delivery vehicle and reduces the toxicity associated with unmodified drug carrier and therapeutic agent. An additional attribute of these carriers is to alter the pharmacokinetic profile of drugs positively with stabilization of drug carrier. The presence of lectin receptors on different cell surfaces makes the glycosylated carrier appreciable for targeted delivery of drugs to improve their therapeutic index. Active participation of some lectin receptors in immune responses to antigen overlaid the application of glycosylated carriers in delivery of antigen and immunotherapy for treatment of ailments like cancer. These advantages revealed the promising potential of glycosylated carriers in each perspective of drug delivery. Collectively this review presents an overview of different applications of glycosylated carriers, with a focus on their applicability in development of a nanoconstruct with GRAS status.