Application of heparin as a dual agent with antimalarial and liposome targeting activities toward Plasmodium-infected red blood cells

Immunoliposome-mediated drug delivery to Plasmodium -infected and non-infected red blood cells as a dual therapeutic/prophylactic antimalarial strategy

“…200-nm LPs studded with heparin or specific antibodies raised against pRBCs have been shown to bind late stages with high specificity [10,50], increasing up to tenfold the efficacy of encapsulated antimalarial drugs in vitro [12,50]. However, the therapeutic administration of such liposomal models against late stages has to be timed to the precise moment when trophozoites and schizonts are present in blood, between 24 and 48 h into the P. falciparum intraerythrocytic cycle.…”

Loading Antimalarial Drugs into Noninfected Red Blood Cells: An Undesirable Roommate for Plasmodium

“…200-nm liposomes studded with heparin or antibodies raised against pRBCs have been shown to bind late forms with high selectivity [2,3], improving the activity of encapsulated antimalarial drugs up to tenfold [2,4]. In addition to the inconvenient late-stage targeting, such liposomal delivery models will also have to overcome the obstacle of timing nanocarrier administration to the precise moment of the parasite's life cycle when trophozoites and schizonts are present.…”

Red blood cells: Supercarriers for drugs, biologicals, and nanoparticles and inspiration for advanced delivery systems

“…In a modern application, RBC-targeted liposomes are being studied for delivery of anti-malarial agents. In these studies, antibodies and semi-specific agents such as heparin have been used to target liposomes to Plasmodium -infected RBCs [137,138]. …”