Nanomedicines based on renewable materials for sustainable drug delivery and biomedical imaging applications

Abstract

With the application of nanoscale materials, nanomedicine is redefining and improving the delivery of pharmaceuticals and molecular bioimaging probes, providing novel approaches to disease diagnosis, management, and treatment. As in many other fields, renewable materials are becoming increasingly important in nanomedicine because they offer sustainable alternatives to fossil-based resources and are often biodegradable and biocompatible. Additionally, these materials are replenishable in nature, and some can be derived or recovered from industrial and agro-industrial waste streams. In this review, we critically evaluate nanomedicines fabricated from renewable polymers, polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids for drug delivery and biomedical imaging, together with their physicochemical and biological characterization. Particular emphasis is placed on how material origin and physicochemical properties influence formulation performance and clinical readiness. Rather than considering renewable origin alone as an indicator of translational suitability, the major material classes are compared in terms of source consistency, biodegradability, imaging functionality, and regulatory maturity. Recent developments reported during 2020–2026 are discussed, with particular attention to the objectives and key findings of the developed nanomedicines. Additionally, their applications in the treatment of various diseases and in biomedical imaging are reviewed. The review also highlights key translational barriers, and evidence gaps that must be addressed to advance renewable material-based nanomedicines from proof-of-concept systems toward reproducible, scalable, and clinically relevant products. Graphic abstract

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Discover Nano, 2026 · DOI ↗