Publications

Research outputs, reports, policy briefs and knowledge products from KIU scholars and partners.

2026 School of Engineering and Applied Sciences NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING AND PHYSICAL SCIENCES (NIJEP)

Smart Nanoparticles for Precision Delivery of Anti Inflammatory Agents in Obesity-Associated Metabolic Disorders

Mugabo Kalisa G.

Obesity-associated metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, are driven in large part by chronic low-grade inflammation. Conventional anti-inflammatory therapies often suffer from poor tissue specificity, limited bioavailability, and systemic side effects, which constrain their long-term clinical utility. Smart nanoparticles have emerged as advanced drug delivery platforms capable of precise, controlled, and stimuli-responsive delivery of antiinflammatory agents to diseased metabolic tissues. These nanoparticles are engineered to sense pathological microenvironmental cues such as pH, oxidative stress, enzymatic activity, or inflammatory mediators, enabling site-specific drug release. This review provides a comprehensive overview of smart nanoparticle systems designed for the precision delivery of anti-inflammatory agents in obesity-associated metabolic disorders. We discuss the inflammatory mechanisms linking obesity to metabolic dysfunction, key design principles of smart nanoparticles, and current therapeutic strategies targeting adipose tissue, liver, and immune cells. Critical challenges related to safety, scalability, and clinical translation are examined, and emerging opportunities for next-generation nanomedicine approaches are highlighted. Collectively, smart nanoparticles represent a promising avenue for improving the efficacy and safety of anti-inflammatory therapies in metabolic disease management.