Nanoparticle‐Mediated Drug Delivery and Gene Therapy

Abstract

Biomedical application of nanotechnology is a rapidly developing area that raises new prospect in the improvement of diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. The ability to incorporate drugs or genes into a functionalized nanoparticle demonstrates a new era in pharmacotherapy for delivering drugs or genes selectively to tissues or cells. It is envisioned that the transfer of nanoengineering capability into disease therapy will provide constant and concentrated drug delivery to targeted tissues, minimizing systemic side effects and toxicity. We have in this article highlighted the recent state of the art in nanomedicine, focusing particularly on the achievement of nanotechnology in nanoscale drug and gene delivery in vitro and in vivo. In addition, a specific emphasis has been placed on the use of nanotechnology to improve controlled drug release and sustainable drug delivery in solid tumors and on new drug therapies for age-related neurodegenerative disorders.Nanotechnology focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of materials and devices at the nano scale. Application of nanotechnology to medicine led to the emergence of a new area called "nanomedicine", which employs molecular knowledge to address medical problems and maintain and improve human health (1). The scope of the rapid progress in nanomedicine ranges from in vivo imaging and diagnosis to therapeutics such as drug delivery and gene therapy. One of the most attractive applications of nanotechnology is its ability to significantly improve the sensitivity of biosensors. For example, nanoparticle (NP)-based assay has been demonstrated to be able to detect proteins in the attomolar concentration range, a magnitude of six orders lower than concentrations detected by ELISA (2). This improvement will allow early detection of many diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, saving millions of lives through the prevention and early treatment of these diseases.Another promising technique developed based on nanotechnology is the nanodrug and/or gene delivery system. This new technology provides greater potential for many applications, including anti-tumor therapy by targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors. Cancer treatment represents an enormous biomedical challenge for drug delivery. The unique properties of cancer require the development of a multifunctional drug delivery system that can be efficiently manufactured to target subtle molecular alterations that distinguish a cancer cell from healthy cells in the body (3). A NP-mediated drug delivery system can significantly eliminate drug or drug carrier side effects. A good example is the first biologically interactive agent, albumin-bound paclitaxel, an anti-cancer drug. ABI 007 is encapsulated in a 130 nm NP, designed to avoid solvent-related toxicities and to deliver paclitaxel to tumors via molecular pathways involving an endothelial cell-surface albumin receptor and an albumin-binding protein expressed by tumor cells. The paclitaxel is then secreted into the tu...

Viscosity and aggregation structure of nanocolloidal dispersions

“…Studying the relationship between pH and zeta-potential shows that with the neutralization of charges on the particle surface and decreasing electrical repulsion force, the particle interaction becomes dominated by attractive forces and the aggregates form a more compact structure. In recent years, nanocolloidal dispersions, which are heterogeneous mixtures consisting of very small particles with sizes typically in the order of 1-1000 nm, have attracted much attention for applications related to cooling [1], nanolubricants [2], drug delivery and diagnosis [3]. In the application of nanocolloidal dispersions, the viscosity, which is related to the required pumping power and diffusion properties, plays an important role in delivery systems.…”

“…In recent years, nanocolloidal dispersions, which are heterogeneous mixtures consisting of very small particles with sizes typically in the order of 1-1000 nm, have attracted much attention for applications related to cooling [1], nanolubricants [2], drug delivery and diagnosis [3]. In the application of nanocolloidal dispersions, the viscosity, which is related to the required pumping power and diffusion properties, plays an important role in delivery systems.…”

A novel type of self-assembled nanoparticles as targeted gene carriers: an application for plasmid DNA and antimicroRNA oligonucleotide delivery

“…As expected, Figure 5 shows a dose-dependent cytotoxicity of NPs on HepG2 cells, and this is in agreement with previous research on other cationic polymers. 26 No significant cytotoxicity was found among the NPs at low concentrations. Nevertheless, as the concentration of NPs increased, the cytotoxicity of different NPs increased in various degrees: the cytotoxicity of PEI/pDNA increased the fastest.…”

Medicated Nanoparticle for Gene Delivery

“…In the nonviral gene delivery overcoming biological barriers in the circulation or inside the target cell and transferring the gene vector is based on the molecular weight of the vector, ratio between the vector nitrogens and the DNA phosphates (termed the N:P ratio) and the salt concentration of the buffer solution. [27][28][29][30].…”