Antimicrobial therapeutics delivery systems based on biodegradable polylactide/polylactide-co-glycolide particles

Infectious diseases are globally associated with high mortality in spite of the availability of therapeutic agents against most pathogenic microorganisms. This is due to the emergence of new infectious diseases and novel pathogen strategies to evade host defenses. There is thus a need to develop potent therapeutics and techniques for effective delivery of vaccines and drugs. Particles based on poly(lactic acid) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) polymer-based particles are suitable delivery systems due to their biodegradable and biocompatible nature. They can be tailored to display various properties such as sustained release, dose sparing, bioactivity maintenance and targeted delivery. This review focuses on polymeric particle-based delivery systems to develop novel vaccines or drugs. Cellular interactions of particulate systems and the mechanism of action in animal models are also discussed.