Advances in Nanocarriers for Delivering Therapeutic Agents Against Hepatitis B Virus

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a crucial public health issue and a major cause of liver disease, such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. At present, orally administered small molecule drugs, such as nucleoside / nucleotide analogues, are recommended as the first‐line treatment for HBV. However, the therapeutic efficacy of these drugs is hindered by off‐target toxicity caused by the whole‐body permeation distribution of these oral drugs. As an emerging drug delivery technology, systemically administered nanocarriers can enhance the aqueous solubility and stability of encapsulated drugs, prolong circulation times, and deliver them efficiently to the liver, showing great promise for increasing the safety and efficacy of small molecule drugs. Furthermore, nanocarriers also accelerate the clinical translation of new therapies, such as nucleic acids and vaccines. This review article highlights the progress of nanoparticle delivery systems in anti‐HBV therapeutics and discusses the opportunities and challenges for the future development of anti‐HBV nanotherapeutics.