A review study on the application of polymeric-based nanoparticles as a novel approach for enhancing the stability of albumins

Albumin is a liver synthesized protein and the most abundant nonglycosylated plasma protein with a molecular weight of 66 kDa and 585 amino acids. It works as a preservative to maintain plasma volume, osmotic blood pressure, and microvascular integrity. It also works as a blood carrier for endogenous and exogenous substances, improving the stability and survival of drugs and components by corona protein formation around them. However, the presence of different albumin preservatives and stabilizers that can affect other blood cells and binding of preservatives to albumin caused a lower binding capacity of commercial albumin that needs to be addressed. Nowadays nanotechnology is considered a promising field of research in biology and biological products. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to review the effects of polymeric nanoparticles on the stability and function of albumin products. A literature review was performed on the publications available on the subject matter from 2011 to 2021. The keywords in different combinations such as “polymeric nanoparticles”, “nanoparticles”, “stability”, and “serum albumin” were searched in databases of PubMed and Scopus. The collected data were then analyzed. According to review results, PLGA, a negatively charged polymer, with lower molecular weight can be introduced as an effective candidate for enhancing albumin stability. Also, it can be concluded that while some cationic nanoparticles can increase the thermal stability of albumin, they have no favorable effects on the albumin structure; thus, they must be modified structurally to be applicable for the production of albumin products.