Malaria remains a global health challenge despite extensive efforts in prevention and treatment. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment are critical for eradication efforts, yet resistance to current therapeutic drugs, particularly in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, poses a major obstacle. Traditional antimalarial such as quinine, chloroquine, and artemisinin-based combination therapies have been widely used, but their effectiveness is increasingly compromised by resistance and pharmacokinetic limitations. Many antimalarial drugs suffer from poor bioavailability, off-target delivery, and suboptimal penetration into infected erythrocytes, leading to toxicity and reduced efficacy. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these challenges by enhancing drug stability, targeted delivery, and intracellular retention while minimizing adverse effects. Nanocarriers have been explored for encapsulating antimalarial agents, improving subcellular specificity, and protecting drugs from enzymatic degradation. This review examines recent advancements in nanotechnology-based drug delivery for malaria treatment and discusses the challenges associated with their application in this field.

Keywords- Nanoparticles, Malaria, nanotechnology, Polymeric delivery systems, drug-delivery system

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1. Shanks GD. Historical review: problematic malaria prophylaxis with quinine. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2016 Aug 8;95(2):269.
2. Cibulskis RE, Alonso P, Aponte J, Aregawi M, Barrette A, Bergeron L, Fergus CA, Knox T, Lynch M, Patouillard E, Schwarte S. Malaria: global progress 2000–2015 and future challenges. Infectious diseases of poverty. 2016 Dec;5:1-8.
3. Achan J, Talisuna AO, Erhart A, Yeka A, Tibenderana JK, Baliraine FN, Rosenthal PJ, D'Alessandro U. Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria. Malaria journal. 2011 Dec;10:1-2.
4. Rogerson SJ. Management of malaria in pregnancy. Indian journal of medical research. 2017 Sep 1;146(3):328-33.
5. Tse EG, Korsik M, Todd MH. The past, present and future of anti-malarial medicines. Malaria journal. 2019 Mar 22;18(1):93.
6. Ali AM, Penny MA, Smith TA, Workman L, Sasi P, Adjei GO, Aweeka F, Kiechel JR, Jullien V, Rijken MJ, McGready R. Population pharmacokinetics of the antimalarial amodiaquine: a pooled analysis to optimize dosing. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2018 Oct;62(10):10-128.
7. Newton P, Suputtamongkol Y, Teja-Isavadharm P, Pukrittayakamee S, Navaratnam V, Bates I, White N. Antimalarial bioavailability and disposition of artesunate in acute falciparum malaria. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2000 Apr 1;44(4):972-7.
8. Sinha S, Sehgal R, Medhi B. Metallic nanoparticles in malaria treatment: advances in therapeutics, diagnostics, and future prospects. AAPS Open. 2024 Dec 2;10(1):13.
9. Castro-Sesquen YE, Kim C, Gilman RH, Sullivan DJ, Searson PC. Nanoparticle-based histidine-rich protein-2 assay for the detection of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2016 Aug 8;95(2):354.
10. Guasch-Girbau A, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Review of the current landscape of the potential of nanotechnology for future malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination strategies. Pharmaceutics. 2021 Dec 17;13(12):2189.
11. Hemben A, Ashley J, Tothill IE. Development of an immunosensor for Pf HRP 2 as a biomarker for malaria detection. Biosensors. 2017 Jul 18;7(3):28.
12. Borgheti-Cardoso LN, San Anselmo M, Lantero E, Lancelot A, Serrano JL, Hernández-Ainsa S, Fernàndez-Busquets X, Sierra T. Promising nanomaterials in the fight against malaria. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 2020;8(41):9428-48.
13. Alven S, Aderibigbe BA. Nanoformulations of old and new antimalarial drugs. InApplications of Nanobiotechnology for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021 Jan 1 (pp. 191-216). Academic Press.
14. Liechty WB, Kryscio DR, Slaughter BV, Peppas NA. Polymers for drug delivery systems. Annual review of chemical and biomolecular engineering. 2010 Jul 15;1(1):149-73.
15. Wei M, Gao Y, Li X, Serpe MJ. Stimuli-responsive polymers and their applications. Polymer Chemistry. 2017;8(1):127-43.
16. Guo X, Wang L, Wei X, Zhou S. Polymer‐based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry. 2016 Nov 15;54(22):3525-50.
17. Natesan S, Ponnusamy C, Sugumaran A, Chelladurai S, Palaniappan SS, Palanichamy R. Artemisinin loaded chitosan magnetic nanoparticles for the efficient targeting to the breast cancer. International journal of biological macromolecules. 2017 Nov 1;104:1853-9.
18. Lima TL, Feitosa RD, dos Santos-Silva E, dos Santos-Silva AM, Siqueira EM, Machado PR, Cornélio AM, do Egito ES, Fernandes-Pedrosa MD, Farias KJ, da Silva-Júnior AA. Improving encapsulation of hydrophilic chloroquine diphosphate into biodegradable nanoparticles: a promising approach against herpes virus simplex-1 infection. Pharmaceutics. 2018 Dec 3;10(4):255.
19. Kekani LN, Witika BA. Current advances in nanodrug delivery systems for malaria prevention and treatment. Discover Nano. 2023 Apr 20;18(1):66.
20. Aderibigbe BA, Mhlwatika Z. Dual release kinetics of antimalarials from soy protein isolate‐carbopol‐polyacrylamide based hydrogels. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2016 Oct 5;133(37).
21. Iravani S, Varma RS. Nanosponges for drug delivery and cancer therapy: Recent advances. Nanomaterials. 2022 Jul 16;12(14):2440.
22. Thakkar M, Brijesh S. Physicochemical investigation and in vivo activity of anti-malarial drugs co-loaded in Tween 80 niosomes. Journal of liposome research. 2018 Oct 2;28(4):315-21.
23. Shen S, Liu SZ, Zhang YS, Du MB, Liang AH, Song LH, Ye ZG. Compound antimalarial ethosomal cataplasm: preparation, evaluation, and mechanism of penetration enhancement. International journal of nanomedicine. 2015 Jun 30:4239-53.
24. Masiiwa WL, Gadaga LL. Intestinal Permeability of Artesunate‐Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Using the Everted Gut Method. Journal of drug delivery. 2018;2018(1):3021738.
25. Muga JO, Gathirwa JW, Tukulula M, Jura WG. In vitro evaluation of chloroquine-loaded and heparin surface-functionalized solid lipid nanoparticles. Malaria journal. 2018 Dec;17:1-7.
26. Omwoyo WN, Ogutu B, Oloo F, Swai H, Kalombo L, Melariri P, Mahanga GM, Gathirwa JW. Preparation, characterization, and optimization of primaquine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. International Journal of nanomedicine. 2014 Aug 11:3865-74.
27. Omwoyo WN, Melariri P, Gathirwa JW, Oloo F, Mahanga GM, Kalombo L, Ogutu B, Swai H. Development, characterization and antimalarial efficacy of dihydroartemisinin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. 2016 Apr 1;12(3):801-9.
28. Gaur M, Misra C, Yadav AB, Swaroop S, Maolmhuaidh FÓ, Bechelany M, Barhoum A. Biomedical applications of carbon nanomaterials: fullerenes, quantum dots, nanotubes, nanofibers, and graphene. Materials. 2021 Oct 11;14(20):5978.
29. Novir SB, Aram MR. Quantum mechanical simulation of Chloroquine drug interaction with C60 fullerene for treatment of COVID-19. Chemical physics letters. 2020 Oct 16;757:137869.
30. Singh SP, Konwar BK. Carbon nanotube assisted drug delivery of the anti-malarial drug artemesinin and its derivatives—a theoretical nanotechnology approach. Journal of Bionanoscience. 2013 Dec 1;7(6):630-6.
31. Moles E, Urbán P, Jiménez-Díaz MB, Viera-Morilla S, Angulo-Barturen I, Busquets MA, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Immunoliposome-mediated drug delivery to Plasmodium-infected and non-infected red blood cells as a dual therapeutic/prophylactic antimalarial strategy. Journal of Controlled Release. 2015 Jul 28;210:217-29.
32. Marques J, Valle-Delgado JJ, Urbán P, Baró E, Prohens R, Mayor A, Cisteró P, Delves M, Sinden RE, Grandfils C, de Paz JL. Adaptation of targeted nanocarriers to changing requirements in antimalarial drug delivery. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. 2017 Feb 1;13(2):515-25.
33. Amina SJ, Guo B. A review on the synthesis and functionalization of gold nanoparticles as a drug delivery vehicle. International journal of nanomedicine. 2020 Dec 7:9823-57.
34. Hemmert C, Fabié A, Fabre A, Benoit-Vical F, Gornitzka H. Synthesis, structures, and antimalarial activities of some silver (I), gold (I) and gold (III) complexes involving N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. European journal of medicinal chemistry. 2013 Feb 1;60:64-75.
35. Rai M, Ingle AP, Paralikar P, Gupta I, Medici S, Santos CA. Recent advances in use of silver nanoparticles as antimalarial agents. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2017 Jun 30;526(1-2):254-70.
36. Kumar R, Ray PC, Datta D, Bansal GP, Angov E, Kumar N. Nanovaccines for malaria using Plasmodium falciparum antigen Pfs25 attached gold nanoparticles. Vaccine. 2015 Sep 22;33(39):5064-71.
37. Wang X, Gao X, Wang L, Lin J, Liu Y. Advances of Nanotechnology Toward Vaccine Development Against Animal Infectious Diseases. Advanced Functional Materials. 2023 Nov;33(46):2305061.
38. Abusalah MA, Chopra H, Sharma A, Mustafa SA, Choudhary OP, Sharma M, Dhawan M, Khosla R, Loshali A, Sundriyal A, Saini J. Nanovaccines: a game changing approach in the fight against infectious diseases. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2023 Nov 1;167:115597.
39. Zhang N, Xiong G, Liu Z. Toxicity of metal-based nanoparticles: Challenges in the nano era. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2022 Nov 10;10:1001572.
40. Makhdoumi P, Karimi H, Khazaei M. Review on metal-based nanoparticles: role of reactive oxygen species in renal toxicity. Chemical Research in Toxicology. 2020 Sep 10;33(10):2503-14.
41. Filipić B, Pantelić I, Nikolić I, Majhen D, Stojić-Vukanić Z, Savić S, Krajišnik D. Nanoparticle-based adjuvants and delivery systems for modern vaccines. Vaccines. 2023 Jun 29;11(7):1172.

Malaria remains a global health challenge despite extensive efforts in prevention and treatment. Prompt diagnosis and effective treatment are critical for eradication efforts, yet resistance to current therapeutic drugs, particularly in Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, poses a major obstacle. Traditional antimalarial such as quinine, chloroquine, and artemisinin-based combination therapies have been widely used, but their effectiveness is increasingly compromised by resistance and pharmacokinetic limitations. Many antimalarial drugs suffer from poor bioavailability, off-target delivery, and suboptimal penetration into infected erythrocytes, leading to toxicity and reduced efficacy. Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these challenges by enhancing drug stability, targeted delivery, and intracellular retention while minimizing adverse effects. Nanocarriers have been explored for encapsulating antimalarial agents, improving subcellular specificity, and protecting drugs from enzymatic degradation. This review examines recent advancements in nanotechnology-based drug delivery for malaria treatment and discusses the challenges associated with their application in this field.

Keywords- Nanoparticles, Malaria, nanotechnology, Polymeric delivery systems, drug-delivery system

🔒 This is a subscription article

Full text is available to subscribers and institutional members. Please choose an option below to access it.

1. Shanks GD. Historical review: problematic malaria prophylaxis with quinine. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2016 Aug 8;95(2):269.
2. Cibulskis RE, Alonso P, Aponte J, Aregawi M, Barrette A, Bergeron L, Fergus CA, Knox T, Lynch M, Patouillard E, Schwarte S. Malaria: global progress 2000–2015 and future challenges. Infectious diseases of poverty. 2016 Dec;5:1-8.
3. Achan J, Talisuna AO, Erhart A, Yeka A, Tibenderana JK, Baliraine FN, Rosenthal PJ, D'Alessandro U. Quinine, an old anti-malarial drug in a modern world: role in the treatment of malaria. Malaria journal. 2011 Dec;10:1-2.
4. Rogerson SJ. Management of malaria in pregnancy. Indian journal of medical research. 2017 Sep 1;146(3):328-33.
5. Tse EG, Korsik M, Todd MH. The past, present and future of anti-malarial medicines. Malaria journal. 2019 Mar 22;18(1):93.
6. Ali AM, Penny MA, Smith TA, Workman L, Sasi P, Adjei GO, Aweeka F, Kiechel JR, Jullien V, Rijken MJ, McGready R. Population pharmacokinetics of the antimalarial amodiaquine: a pooled analysis to optimize dosing. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2018 Oct;62(10):10-128.
7. Newton P, Suputtamongkol Y, Teja-Isavadharm P, Pukrittayakamee S, Navaratnam V, Bates I, White N. Antimalarial bioavailability and disposition of artesunate in acute falciparum malaria. Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy. 2000 Apr 1;44(4):972-7.
8. Sinha S, Sehgal R, Medhi B. Metallic nanoparticles in malaria treatment: advances in therapeutics, diagnostics, and future prospects. AAPS Open. 2024 Dec 2;10(1):13.
9. Castro-Sesquen YE, Kim C, Gilman RH, Sullivan DJ, Searson PC. Nanoparticle-based histidine-rich protein-2 assay for the detection of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene. 2016 Aug 8;95(2):354.
10. Guasch-Girbau A, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Review of the current landscape of the potential of nanotechnology for future malaria diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination strategies. Pharmaceutics. 2021 Dec 17;13(12):2189.
11. Hemben A, Ashley J, Tothill IE. Development of an immunosensor for Pf HRP 2 as a biomarker for malaria detection. Biosensors. 2017 Jul 18;7(3):28.
12. Borgheti-Cardoso LN, San Anselmo M, Lantero E, Lancelot A, Serrano JL, Hernández-Ainsa S, Fernàndez-Busquets X, Sierra T. Promising nanomaterials in the fight against malaria. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 2020;8(41):9428-48.
13. Alven S, Aderibigbe BA. Nanoformulations of old and new antimalarial drugs. InApplications of Nanobiotechnology for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2021 Jan 1 (pp. 191-216). Academic Press.
14. Liechty WB, Kryscio DR, Slaughter BV, Peppas NA. Polymers for drug delivery systems. Annual review of chemical and biomolecular engineering. 2010 Jul 15;1(1):149-73.
15. Wei M, Gao Y, Li X, Serpe MJ. Stimuli-responsive polymers and their applications. Polymer Chemistry. 2017;8(1):127-43.
16. Guo X, Wang L, Wei X, Zhou S. Polymer‐based drug delivery systems for cancer treatment. Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry. 2016 Nov 15;54(22):3525-50.
17. Natesan S, Ponnusamy C, Sugumaran A, Chelladurai S, Palaniappan SS, Palanichamy R. Artemisinin loaded chitosan magnetic nanoparticles for the efficient targeting to the breast cancer. International journal of biological macromolecules. 2017 Nov 1;104:1853-9.
18. Lima TL, Feitosa RD, dos Santos-Silva E, dos Santos-Silva AM, Siqueira EM, Machado PR, Cornélio AM, do Egito ES, Fernandes-Pedrosa MD, Farias KJ, da Silva-Júnior AA. Improving encapsulation of hydrophilic chloroquine diphosphate into biodegradable nanoparticles: a promising approach against herpes virus simplex-1 infection. Pharmaceutics. 2018 Dec 3;10(4):255.
19. Kekani LN, Witika BA. Current advances in nanodrug delivery systems for malaria prevention and treatment. Discover Nano. 2023 Apr 20;18(1):66.
20. Aderibigbe BA, Mhlwatika Z. Dual release kinetics of antimalarials from soy protein isolate‐carbopol‐polyacrylamide based hydrogels. Journal of Applied Polymer Science. 2016 Oct 5;133(37).
21. Iravani S, Varma RS. Nanosponges for drug delivery and cancer therapy: Recent advances. Nanomaterials. 2022 Jul 16;12(14):2440.
22. Thakkar M, Brijesh S. Physicochemical investigation and in vivo activity of anti-malarial drugs co-loaded in Tween 80 niosomes. Journal of liposome research. 2018 Oct 2;28(4):315-21.
23. Shen S, Liu SZ, Zhang YS, Du MB, Liang AH, Song LH, Ye ZG. Compound antimalarial ethosomal cataplasm: preparation, evaluation, and mechanism of penetration enhancement. International journal of nanomedicine. 2015 Jun 30:4239-53.
24. Masiiwa WL, Gadaga LL. Intestinal Permeability of Artesunate‐Loaded Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Using the Everted Gut Method. Journal of drug delivery. 2018;2018(1):3021738.
25. Muga JO, Gathirwa JW, Tukulula M, Jura WG. In vitro evaluation of chloroquine-loaded and heparin surface-functionalized solid lipid nanoparticles. Malaria journal. 2018 Dec;17:1-7.
26. Omwoyo WN, Ogutu B, Oloo F, Swai H, Kalombo L, Melariri P, Mahanga GM, Gathirwa JW. Preparation, characterization, and optimization of primaquine-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. International Journal of nanomedicine. 2014 Aug 11:3865-74.
27. Omwoyo WN, Melariri P, Gathirwa JW, Oloo F, Mahanga GM, Kalombo L, Ogutu B, Swai H. Development, characterization and antimalarial efficacy of dihydroartemisinin loaded solid lipid nanoparticles. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. 2016 Apr 1;12(3):801-9.
28. Gaur M, Misra C, Yadav AB, Swaroop S, Maolmhuaidh FÓ, Bechelany M, Barhoum A. Biomedical applications of carbon nanomaterials: fullerenes, quantum dots, nanotubes, nanofibers, and graphene. Materials. 2021 Oct 11;14(20):5978.
29. Novir SB, Aram MR. Quantum mechanical simulation of Chloroquine drug interaction with C60 fullerene for treatment of COVID-19. Chemical physics letters. 2020 Oct 16;757:137869.
30. Singh SP, Konwar BK. Carbon nanotube assisted drug delivery of the anti-malarial drug artemesinin and its derivatives—a theoretical nanotechnology approach. Journal of Bionanoscience. 2013 Dec 1;7(6):630-6.
31. Moles E, Urbán P, Jiménez-Díaz MB, Viera-Morilla S, Angulo-Barturen I, Busquets MA, Fernàndez-Busquets X. Immunoliposome-mediated drug delivery to Plasmodium-infected and non-infected red blood cells as a dual therapeutic/prophylactic antimalarial strategy. Journal of Controlled Release. 2015 Jul 28;210:217-29.
32. Marques J, Valle-Delgado JJ, Urbán P, Baró E, Prohens R, Mayor A, Cisteró P, Delves M, Sinden RE, Grandfils C, de Paz JL. Adaptation of targeted nanocarriers to changing requirements in antimalarial drug delivery. Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. 2017 Feb 1;13(2):515-25.
33. Amina SJ, Guo B. A review on the synthesis and functionalization of gold nanoparticles as a drug delivery vehicle. International journal of nanomedicine. 2020 Dec 7:9823-57.
34. Hemmert C, Fabié A, Fabre A, Benoit-Vical F, Gornitzka H. Synthesis, structures, and antimalarial activities of some silver (I), gold (I) and gold (III) complexes involving N-heterocyclic carbene ligands. European journal of medicinal chemistry. 2013 Feb 1;60:64-75.
35. Rai M, Ingle AP, Paralikar P, Gupta I, Medici S, Santos CA. Recent advances in use of silver nanoparticles as antimalarial agents. International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2017 Jun 30;526(1-2):254-70.
36. Kumar R, Ray PC, Datta D, Bansal GP, Angov E, Kumar N. Nanovaccines for malaria using Plasmodium falciparum antigen Pfs25 attached gold nanoparticles. Vaccine. 2015 Sep 22;33(39):5064-71.
37. Wang X, Gao X, Wang L, Lin J, Liu Y. Advances of Nanotechnology Toward Vaccine Development Against Animal Infectious Diseases. Advanced Functional Materials. 2023 Nov;33(46):2305061.
38. Abusalah MA, Chopra H, Sharma A, Mustafa SA, Choudhary OP, Sharma M, Dhawan M, Khosla R, Loshali A, Sundriyal A, Saini J. Nanovaccines: a game changing approach in the fight against infectious diseases. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 2023 Nov 1;167:115597.
39. Zhang N, Xiong G, Liu Z. Toxicity of metal-based nanoparticles: Challenges in the nano era. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 2022 Nov 10;10:1001572.
40. Makhdoumi P, Karimi H, Khazaei M. Review on metal-based nanoparticles: role of reactive oxygen species in renal toxicity. Chemical Research in Toxicology. 2020 Sep 10;33(10):2503-14.
41. Filipić B, Pantelić I, Nikolić I, Majhen D, Stojić-Vukanić Z, Savić S, Krajišnik D. Nanoparticle-based adjuvants and delivery systems for modern vaccines. Vaccines. 2023 Jun 29;11(7):1172.