BIODEGRADABLE NANOPLASTIC: A TOOL FOR DRUG DELIVERY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGE

Enza TORINO^1,2,3, Anna MENALE¹, Samuele FIORENZA^1,2, Simona SILVESTRI^1,3 | ¹University of Naples Federico II - Department of Chemical, Materials Engineering and Industrial Production; ²Interdepartmental Research Center on Biomaterial (CRIB); ³Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia – Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Healthcare

The emergence of nanoplastics as both a technological opportunity and an environmental concern has stimulated intense debate in biomedical engineering and materials science. On the one hand, nanoscale plastics have unique physicochemical properties such as large surface area, tunable surface chemistry, and high stability that make them attractive as carriers for targeted drug delivery. On the other hand, the uncontrolled release of non-biodegradable nanoplastics into ecosystems poses risks for human and environmental health, highlighting an urgent need for safer and more sustainable approaches. Biopolymers play a pivotal role in bridging this gap. Biodegradable polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), and polysaccharide-based nanomaterials (e.g., chitosan, cellulose derivatives) can be engineered into nanoplastic-like carriers that retain the advantageous properties of conventional synthetic nanoparticles while avoiding long-term persistence in biological and environmental systems. Their tunable degradation rates, intrinsic biocompatibility, and ability to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs make them powerful tools for controlled release and precision medicine. However, it is also important for the fields of biopolymers to address the dual imperative of innovation and safety and the emerging paradigm of “safety-by-design” is being applied to polymeric and plastic-based systems. This approach integrates life cycle assessment, environmental fate modeling, and toxicological evaluation at the earliest stages of material design. The concept of safety-by-design (SbD) is emerging as a critical framework in the development of advanced materials and production technologies, particularly in the context of nanomaterials and plastic-derived systems. SbD advocates the proactive integration of safety considerations—human health, environmental fate, and ecotoxicological profiles at the earliest stages of material design and process development, rather than treating safety as a downstream regulatory checkpoint.