BACKGROUND: The persistent global burden of viral infections, compounded by the emergence of resistance and suboptimal therapeutic efficacy, underscores the urgency for innovative treatment strategies. Recent viral outbreaks such as COVID-19, Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), Zika, Ebola, Nipah, and various influenza viral strains have highlighted the limitations of conventional antivirals. This necessitates the need for targeted, adaptable, and innovative drug delivery platforms. In light of this, LNCs have emerged as versatile systems capable of enhancing drug stability, biodistribution, and cellular uptake. With their tunable architecture and ability to encapsulate diverse antiviral agents, these nanocarriers offer a promising avenue to overcome pharmacological barriers, improve therapeutic efficacy, and enable effective intervention against both established and emerging viral pathogens.
METHOD: To gather supporting evidence, publications were identified on Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect with specific search terms such as "antivirals", "drug loading", "encapsulation efficiency", "lipid nanocarriers", "liposomes", "solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)", "nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs)", "cubosomes", "virus", "viral disease", and "resistance". We did not impose any restrictions on the publication date during the selection of papers. However, it is imperative to highlight that the initial reports containing specified keywords began publication in 1964; it is noteworthy that a majority of these publications were 2000 or beyond.
CONCLUSION: LNCs, including SLNs, NLCs, liposomes, and cubosomes, etc, demonstrated improved antiviral efficacy by enhancing drug stability, targeted delivery, and bioavailability. Several formulations showed superior pharmacokinetics and reduced toxicity compared to conventional therapies. Additionally, in vivo studies supported enhanced lymphatic uptake and therapeutic outcomes across multiple viral models. Despite notable progress, challenges in scalability, stability, and regulatory compliance limit their clinical translation. Hence, techniques such as microfluidics and other continuous manufacturing approaches improve reproducibility and process control. Moreover, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing LNC development by enabling rapid optimization, in silico prediction of pharmacokinetics, and real-time quality monitoring. Incorporating AI-enabled quality-by-design frameworks with state-of-the-art analytics may streamline regulatory approval. Moving forward, translating LNC technologies from bench to bedside will require scalable production methods, standardized characterization, and regulatory alignment.
