Abstract
Many pharmaceuticals on the market suffer from two significant limitations to their activity: lack of specificity toward the pathological site and poor aqueous solubility. Both factors therefore require the application of a large total dose of a drug to achieve high local concentration, causing numerous off-target toxic effects. Consequently, the grand aim of targeted drug delivery - the often-referred “magic bullet” - promises to improve drug concentration at the target site and maximize therapeutic response. Nanomaterial drug delivery systems have been explored extensively in the recent years for just this purpose. In the field of medicine, nanocarriers (NCs) have the potential to improve the biodistribution and pharmacokinetic characteristics of drugs, thereby reducing side effects while improving the therapeutic effect of drugs. Many nanomaterials are exquisitely designed and possess potent properties, yet it is extremely important to note that a general understanding of the interaction of nanomaterials with biological systems is essential for any such model properties to be effective in vivo, since the body presents a host of biological ‘barriers’ that will be encountered drug NCs. This review offers a general overview of the different biological obstacles that a NC must negotiate before it can carry out its desired role as a medicinal agent. From this standpoint we suggest aspects that should be considered for the rational design of novel nanomaterials possessing physicochemical properties that are appropriate for therapeutic or theragnostic applications.
Keywords: Nanomedicine, nanocarrier, biological barrier, passive targeting, drug specificity, vascular endothelium.
Current Medicinal Chemistry
Title:The Fate of Nanocarriers As Nanomedicines In Vivo: Important Considerations and Biological Barriers to Overcome
Volume: 20 Issue: 22
Author(s): M. Moros, S. G. Mitchell, V. Grazu and J.M. de la Fuente
Affiliation:
Keywords: Nanomedicine, nanocarrier, biological barrier, passive targeting, drug specificity, vascular endothelium.
Abstract: Many pharmaceuticals on the market suffer from two significant limitations to their activity: lack of specificity toward the pathological site and poor aqueous solubility. Both factors therefore require the application of a large total dose of a drug to achieve high local concentration, causing numerous off-target toxic effects. Consequently, the grand aim of targeted drug delivery - the often-referred “magic bullet” - promises to improve drug concentration at the target site and maximize therapeutic response. Nanomaterial drug delivery systems have been explored extensively in the recent years for just this purpose. In the field of medicine, nanocarriers (NCs) have the potential to improve the biodistribution and pharmacokinetic characteristics of drugs, thereby reducing side effects while improving the therapeutic effect of drugs. Many nanomaterials are exquisitely designed and possess potent properties, yet it is extremely important to note that a general understanding of the interaction of nanomaterials with biological systems is essential for any such model properties to be effective in vivo, since the body presents a host of biological ‘barriers’ that will be encountered drug NCs. This review offers a general overview of the different biological obstacles that a NC must negotiate before it can carry out its desired role as a medicinal agent. From this standpoint we suggest aspects that should be considered for the rational design of novel nanomaterials possessing physicochemical properties that are appropriate for therapeutic or theragnostic applications.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Moros M., Mitchell G. S., Grazu V. and Fuente la J.M. de, The Fate of Nanocarriers As Nanomedicines In Vivo: Important Considerations and Biological Barriers to Overcome, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2013; 20 (22) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867311320220003
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867311320220003 |
Print ISSN 0929-8673 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-533X |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances in Medicinal Chemistry: From Cancer to Chronic Diseases.
The broad spectrum of the issue will provide a comprehensive overview of emerging trends, novel therapeutic interventions, and translational insights that impact modern medicine. The primary focus will be diseases of global concern, including cancer, chronic pain, metabolic disorders, and autoimmune conditions, providing a broad overview of the advancements in ...read more
Approaches to the treatment of chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation is a hallmark of numerous diseases, significantly impacting global health. Although chronic inflammation is a hot topic, not much has been written about approaches to its treatment. This thematic issue aims to showcase the latest advancements in chronic inflammation treatment and foster discussion on future directions in this ...read more
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Non-Infectious Inflammatory Diseases: Focus on Clinical Implications
The Special Issue covers the results of the studies on cellular and molecular mechanisms of non-infectious inflammatory diseases, in particular, autoimmune rheumatic diseases, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and other age-related disorders such as type II diabetes, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, etc. Review and research articles as well as methodology papers that summarize ...read more
Chalcogen-modified nucleic acid analogues
Chalcogen-modified nucleosides, nucleotides and oligonucleotides have been of great interest to scientific research for many years. The replacement of oxygen in the nucleobase, sugar or phosphate backbone by chalcogen atoms (sulfur, selenium, tellurium) gives these biomolecules unique properties resulting from their altered physical and chemical properties. The continuing interest in ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
Related Articles
-
Hypomethylation of Urokinase (uPA) Promoter in Breast and Prostate Cancer: Prognostic and Therapeutic Implications
Current Cancer Drug Targets Systemic Delivery of Curcumin: 21st Century Solutions for an Ancient Conundrum
Current Drug Discovery Technologies An Evolving Role of Piperazine Moieties in Drug Design and Discovery
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry The Possible Role of Infertility Drugs in Later Malignancy: A Review
Current Medicinal Chemistry Delivery of Curcumin and Medicinal Effects of the Copper(II)-Curcumin Complexes
Current Pharmaceutical Design Role of the Sex Hormone Estrogen in the Prevention of Lipid Disorder
Current Medicinal Chemistry Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Predicting Hydroxyproline in Proteins
Current Bioinformatics The Pathobiology of Osteoarthritis and the Rationale for Using the Chondroitin Sulfate for its Treatment
Current Drug Targets - Immune, Endocrine & Metabolic Disorders Recent Progress of Src Family Kinase Inhibitors as Anticancer Agents
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Psoriasis and Vascular Risk : An Update
Current Pharmaceutical Design Bladder Cancer Stem Cells: Biological and Therapeutic Perspectives
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Metallothioneins and Cancer
Current Protein & Peptide Science Scheduling of Taxanes: A Review
Current Clinical Pharmacology Peeking into the Black Box: How Cytokine Antibody Arrays Shed Light on Molecular Mechanisms of Breast Cancer Development and its Treatment
Current Proteomics Recent Progress in the Development of Synthetic Hybrids of Natural or Unnatural Bioactive Compounds for Medicinal Chemistry
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry p16<sup>INK4</sup> as a Biomarker in Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Recent Patents on Biomarkers Mevalonate Pathway and Human Cancers
Current Molecular Pharmacology Editorial: Oncolytic Virus and Gene Thearapy Application: Update 2018
Current Cancer Drug Targets Identification of Novel Antagonists for Rab38 Protein by Homology Modeling and Virtual Screening
Combinatorial Chemistry & High Throughput Screening Derivatives of Deoxypodophyllotoxin Induce Apoptosis through Bcl-2/Bax Proteins Expression
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry