مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد نقش شکل ذرات در دارو رسانی – الزویر 2020

Encapsulation of drugs in nano- and microparticles has been known as a promising approach for efficient drug delivery. It has been well established that adjusting the physiochemical properties of these carriers concerning the specific condition of each disease will improve therapeutic efficacy. The role of particle characteristics including composition, size, surface chemistry, density, elasticity on successful drug delivery has been well recognized. In the last few decades, particle shape arose as an important property playing a profound role in drug delivery efficiency. Particle shape plays its role by affecting physiological interactions including opsonization, internalization, margination, circulation half-life, etc. Delivery of a drug carrier to its target site is a desirable goal in drug delivery, and we were wondering whether engineering the particle geometry would bring us closer to this goal. This article has aimed to review researches studying the impact of particle shape on its interactions with the physiological environment and to focus on the role of particle shape in targeted drug delivery to various sites including liver, spleen, lung, brain, and also tumor sites of different tissues.

Introduction

In biomedical applications, nano- and microparticles have been proved to be useful for the early detection, bioimaging, vaccination, and therapy of various diseases [1]. They can prolong the half-life of therapeutic drugs and bioimaging contrast agents and enhance uptake by target host cells [2]. Drug delivery vehicles like liposomes, polymeric micro and nanoparticles, micelles, carbon nanotubes, microbubbles, virus-like particles, dendrimers, and quantum dots have been introduced so far [3]– [7]. These particles have several advantages, such as the possibility of tailoring their properties to improve the efficiency of available therapies, protecting the drug from degradation, providing a controlled and prolonged drug release, and offering active or passive targeting to the tumor site [8]. It should be considered that after the administration of particles, they face a complex environment that exposes them to plentiful interactions, including interactions with serum proteins, different cell types, fluid dynamics, and various biological barriers. All above-mentioned interactions can lead to some challenges such as difficulties in crossing biological barriers, rapid particle elimination from the blood circulation by the reticuloendothelial system (RES), early release of the drug, and aggregation after interaction with serum components, quick removal from the bloodstream, and a low target efficiency [9]. These challenges converge researchers’ concentration on evaluating the effects of particle characteristics on drug delivery efficiency [10]. The role of particle size is well described previously and has a large impact on particle fate in vivo. The size of carrier profoundly affects its behavior in the biological environment.