Expert opinion on drug delivery最新文献

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) stands as significant challenge in realm of neurodegenerative disorder. It is characterized by gradual decline in cognitive function and memory loss. It has already expanded its prevalence to 55 million people worldwide and is expected to rise significantly. Unfortunately, there exists a limited therapeutic option that would mitigate its progression. Repurposing existing drugs and employing nanoparticle as delivery agent presents a potential solution to address the intricate pathology of AD.

Areas covered: In this review, we delve into utilization of nanoparticular platforms to enhance the delivery of repurposed drugs for treatment of AD. Firstly, the review begins with the elucidation of intricate pathology underpinning AD, subsequently followed by rationale behind drug repurposing in AD. Covered are explorations of nanoparticle-based repurposing of drugs in AD, highlighting their clinical implication. Further, the associated challenges and probable future perspective are delineated.

Expert opinion: The article has highlighted that extensive research has been carried out on the delivery of repurposed nanomedicines against AD. However, there is a need for advanced and long-term research including clinical trials required to shed light upon their safety and toxicity profile. Furthermore, their scalability in pharmaceutical set-up should also be validated.

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the main causes of mortality in women globally. Early and accurate diagnosis represents a milestone in cancer management. Several breast cancer diagnostic agents are available. Many chemotherapeutic agents in conventional dosage forms are approved; nevertheless, they lack cancer cell specificity, resulting in improper treatment and undesirable side effects. Recently, nanotheranostics has emerged as a new paradigm to achieve safe and effective cancer diagnosis and management.

Area covered: This review provides insight into breast cancer epidemiology, barriers hindering the early diagnosis, and effective delivery of chemotherapeutics. Also, conventional diagnostic agents and recent nanotheranostic platforms have been used in breast cancer. In addition, mechanisms of cancer cell targeting and nano-carrier surface functionalization as an effective approach for chemotherapeutic targeting were reviewed along with future perspectives.

Expert opinion: We proposed that modified nano-carriers may provide an efficacious approach for breast cancer drug targeting. These nanotheranostics need more clinical evaluations to confirm their efficacy in cancer management. In addition, we recommend the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a promising approach for early and efficient assessment of breast lesions. AI allows better interpretation and analysis of nanotheranostic data, which minimizes misdiagnosis and avoids the belated intervention of health care providers.

Introduction: In recent years, the evolution of immunotherapy as a means to trigger a robust antitumor immune response has revolutionized cancer treatment. Despite its potential, the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy is hindered by low response rates and significant systemic side effects. Nanotechnology emerges as a promising frontier in shaping the future of cancer immunotherapy.

Areas covered: This review elucidates the pivotal role of nanomedicine in reshaping the immune tumor microenvironment and explores innovative strategies pursued by diverse research groups to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. It discusses the hurdles encountered in cancer immunotherapy and the application of nanomedicine for small molecule immune modulators and nucleic acid therapeutics. It also highlights the advancements in DNA and mRNA vaccines facilitated by nanotechnology and outlines future trajectories in this evolving field.

Expert opinion: Collectively, the integration of nanomedicine into cancer immunotherapy stands as a promising avenue to tackle the intricacies of the immune tumor microenvironment. Innovations such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and cancer vaccines have shown promise. Future developments will likely optimize nanoparticle design through artificial intelligence and create biocompatible, multifunctional nanoparticles, promising more effective, personalized, and durable cancer treatments, potentially transforming the field in the foreseeable future.

Objective: This noninvasive study aimed to understand the interaction between shield-triggered autoinjectors (AI) and skin at the point of activation, hypothesizing that the AI's housing absorbs a significant amount of the user-applied force depending on shield design and skin characteristics.

Methods: Twenty-seven volunteers used a test device measuring applied force versus shield force and indentation depth relative to shield length (2,4,6,8 mm) in standing and sitting positions.

Results: Significant differences were found between applied and shield force for the different shield lengths. Shorter shields resulted in significantly lower force transfer coefficients, with means ranging from 0.72 for the 2 mm shield to 0.94 for the 8 mm shield. ANOVA revealed statistically significant factors (p < .05), including position and gender, with females generally having lower coefficient values. Indentation depth increased with higher forces and varied significantly between positions without significant shield length impact.

Conclusion: The findings confirm that an increase in shield length at the point of activation reduces skin friction with the housing, resulting in less force loss and a lower device activation force perceived by the user. Force loss can be further reduced by standing up. Understanding device-tissue interactions will support development of better AIs with fewer user failures.

Introduction: Nucleic acid (NA)-based therapeutics have shown great potential for downregulating or augmenting gene expression, and for promising applications, e.g., protein-replacement therapy and vaccination, a comprehensive understanding of the requirements for their targeted delivery to specific tissues or cells is needed.

Areas covered: In this review, we discuss clinical applications of four representative types of NA-based therapeutics, i.e. antisense oligonucleotides, small interfering RNA, messenger RNA, and circular RNA, with a focus on the lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology used for intracellular delivery. The in vivo fate of LNPs is discussed to improve the understanding of trafficking of nanomedicines at the systemic and cellular levels. In addition, NA-based vaccines are discussed, focusing on targeting antigen-presenting cells and immune activation.

Expert opinion: Optimization of delivery systems for NA-based therapeutics is mainly focused on the standard requirements of prolonged systemic circulation and enhancing endosomal escape. Depending on the final destination in specific target tissues or cells, strategies should be adjusted to achieve the desired biodistribution of NA-based payloads. More studies relating to the pharmacokinetics of both cargo and carrier are encouraged, because their in vivo fates may differ, considering the possibility of premature cargo release before reaching the target.

Introduction: Nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used in the pharmaceutical field to treat various human disorders. Among these, lipid-based NPs (LNPs), including solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), are favored for drug/bioactive delivery due to their high stability, biocompatibility, encapsulation efficiency, and sustained/controlled release. These properties make them particularly suitable as carriers of compounds derived from plant sources.

Areas covered: This study comprehensively explores updated literature knowledge on SLN and NLC, focusing on their composition and production methods for the specific delivery of drug/bioactive compounds derived from plant sources of interest in pharmaceutical and biomedical fields.

Expert opinion: SLN and NLC facilitate the development of more effective natural product-based therapies, aiming to reduce dosage and minimize side effects. These delivery systems align with the consumer demands for safer and more sustainable products, as there are also based on biocompatible and biodegradable raw materials, thereby posing minimal toxicological risks while also meeting regulatory guidelines.

Introduction: Myocardial infarction (MI) causes extensive structural and functional damage to the cardiac tissue due to the significant loss of cardiomyocytes. Early reperfusion is the standard treatment strategy for acute MI, but it is associated with adverse effects. Additionally, current therapies to alleviate pathological changes post-MI are not effective. Subsequent pathological remodeling of the damaged myocardium often results in heart failure. Oral drugs aimed at reducing myocardial damage and remodeling require repeated administration of high doses to maintain therapeutic levels. This compromises efficacy and patient adherence and may cause adverse effects, such as hypotension and liver and/or kidney dysfunction. Hydrogels have emerged as an effective delivery platform for orthotopic treatment of MI due to their high water content and excellent tissue compatibility.

Area covered: Hydrogels create an optimal microenvironment for delivering drugs, proteins, and cells, preserving their efficacy and increasing their bioavailability. Current research focuses on discovering functional hydrogels for mitigating myocardial damage and regulating repair processes in MI treatment.

Expert opinion: Hydrogels offer a promising approach in enhancing cardiac repair and improving patient outcomes post-MI. Advancements in hydrogel technology are poised to transform MI therapy, paving the way for personalized treatment strategies and enhanced recovery.

Introduction: Numerous purified bioactive compounds, crude extracts, and essential oils have demonstrated potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, particularly in vitro or in silico; however, their in vivo applications are hindered by inadequate absorption and distribution in the organism. The incorporation of these phytochemicals into solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) or nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) has demonstrated significant advancements and represents a viable approach to improve their bioavailability through different administration routes.

Areas covered: This review discusses the potential applications of SLN and NLC, loading bioactive compounds sourced from plants for the treatment of several diseases. An overview of the preclinical developments on the use of these lipid nanoparticles is also provided as well as the requisites to be launched on the market.

Expert opinion: Medicinal plants have gained even more value for the pharmaceutical industries and their customers, leading to many studies exploring their therapeutic potential. Several bioactives derived from plants with antiviral, anticancer, neuroprotective, antioxidant, and antiaging properties have been proposed and loaded into lipid nanoparticles. In vitro and invivo studies corroborate the added value of SLN/NLC to improve the bioavailability of several bioactives. Surface modification to increase their stability and target delivery should be considering.

Introduction: Bladder Cancer is one of the most expensive cancers to treat due to its high cost of therapy as well as the surveillance expenses incurred to prevent disease recurrence and progression. Thus, there is a strong need to develop safe, efficacious drug formulations with controlled drug release profiles and tumor-targeting potential, for improved therapeutic outcomes of bladder cancer patients.

Areas covered: This review aims to provide an overview of drug formulations that have been studied for potential bladder cancer treatment in the last decade; highlight recent trends in bladder cancer treatment; mention ongoing clinical trials on bladder cancer chemotherapy; detail recently FDA-approved drug products for bladder cancer treatment and identify constraints that have prevented the translation of promising drug formulations from the research laboratory to the clinics.

Expert opinion: This work revealed that surface functionalization of particulate drug delivery systems and incorporating the nanoparticles into in situ gelling systems could facilitate controlled drug release for extended periods, and improve the prognosis of bladder cancer treatment. Future research directions could incorporate multiple drugs into the drug delivery systems to treat advanced stages of the disease. In addition, smart nanomaterials, including photothermal therapies, could be exploited to improve the therapeutic outcomes of bladder cancer patients.