Role of nanotechnology in targeted drug delivery and imaging: a concise review (original) (raw)

2005, Nanomedicine : nanotechnology, biology, and medicine

The use of nanotechnology in drug delivery and imaging in vivo is a rapidly expanding field. The emphases of this review are on biophysical attributes of the drug delivery and imaging platforms as well as the biological aspects that enable targeting of these platforms to injured and diseased tissues and cells. The principles of passive and active targeting of nanosized carriers to inflamed and cancerous tissues with increased vascular leakiness, overexpression of specific epitopes, and cellular uptake of these nanoscale systems are discussed. Preparation methods-properties of nanoscale systems including liposomes, micelles, emulsions, nanoparticulates, and dendrimer nanocomposites, and clinical indications are outlined separately for drug delivery and imaging in vivo. Taken together, these relatively new and exciting data indicate that the future of nanomedicine is very promising, and that additional preclinical and clinical studies in relevant animal models and disease states, as w...

Multifunctional nanomedicines: potentials and prospects

Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 2012

Nanotechnology is considered to be significant innovative revolution that have found wide spectrum of applications in the fields ranging from medicine, diagnostics, electronics, and communications. Currently used pharmaceutical nanocarriers, such as dendrimers, micelles, nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles, microspheres, and many of the nanocarriers particularly in the area of drug delivery, offer a wide variety of useful properties, such as longevity in the blood allowing for their accumulation in pathological areas particularly those with compromised vasculature; specific targeting to certain disease sites; enhanced intracellular penetration of nanomaterial with contrast properties allowing for the direct visualization of carrier in vivo, and stimuli sensitivity allowing for triggered drug release from the carriers under certain physiological conditions. Some of the pharmaceutical carriers have already made their way into clinic, while others are still under preclinical development. Moreover, the engineering of multifunctional nanocarriers with several useful properties can significantly enhance the efficacy of many therapeutic and diagnostic protocols. These novel materials operate at the nanoscale range and provide new and powerful cutting edge tools for imaging, diagnosis, and therapy. This review considers current standing and possible future directions in the emerging area of multifunctional nanocarriers with primary attention on the combination of such properties as longevity, targetability, intracellular penetration, and contrast loading.

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