β-Lactoglobulin: An efficient nanocarrier for advanced delivery systems

Thanks to the progress of nanotechnology there are several agent-delivery systems that can be selected to achieve rapid and specific delivery of a wide variety of biologically active agents. Consequently, the manipulation and engineering of biopolymers has become one of the most exciting subjects for those who study delivery systems on the nanoscale. In this regard, both nanoparticle formation and a carrier role have been observed in the case of the globular milk whey protein, beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG), setting it apart from many other proteins. To date, many efforts adopting different approaches have created beta-LG nanoparticles useful in forming delivery systems for various agents with specific targets. In this review, the potential of beta-LG to play the role of an efficient and diverse carrier protein, as well as its ability to form a well-targeted nano-scale delivery system is discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.