Targeted Nanomedicines: Effective Treatment Modalities for Cancer, AIDS and Brain Disorders

Madaswamy S. Muthu; Sanjay Singh

Nanomedicine. 2009;4(1):105-118.

Specific Targets in Brain Disorders

The BBB is the specialized system of capillary endothelial cells that protects the brain from harmful substances in the blood stream, while supplying the brain with the required nutrients for proper function. Unlike peripheral capillaries that enable relatively free exchange of substances across/between cells, the BBB strictly limits transport into the brain through both physical (tight junctions) and metabolic (enzymes) barriers. Thus, the BBB is often the rate-limiting factor in determining permeation of therapeutic drugs into the brain.^[27]

Nanomedicines (such as polymeric nanoparticles and solid lipid nanoparticles) have become a most suitable option for targeted drug delivery into the brain because they can cross the BBB by various targeting mechanisms (i.e., enhanced retention of nanoparticles in the brain-blood capillaries and opening the tight junction of brain endothelial cells).^[28,29]

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Cite this: Targeted Nanomedicines: Effective Treatment Modalities for Cancer, AIDS and Brain Disorders - Medscape - Jan 01, 2009.

Abstract and Introduction
Targeting Methods
Specific Targets in Cancer
Specific Targets in AIDS
Specific Targets in Brain Disorders
Different Targeted Nanomedicines
Multifunctional Nanomedicines for Target Drug Delivery
Conclusion
Future Perspective
References
Sidebar: Executive Summary

Table 1. Some Selected Targeted Nanomedicines Currently Under Progress for the Treatment of Cancer, AIDS and Brain Disorders
Type of targeted nanomedicine	Specific target (disease)	Practical success	Level of development	Figure	Ref.
Polymeric nanoparticles	HER2/neu and CD20/cancer	Promising approach for effective cancer therapy	Preclinical	3A	^[22]
Solid lipid nanoparticles	BBB/brain	Enhanced retention in brain	Preclinical	3B	^[29]
Polymeric micelles	Tumor cells/cancer	High concentration of nanomedicine in tumor	Preclinical	3C	^[59]
Dendrimers	HER2/neu/cancer	Increased receptor binding	Preclinical	3D	^[20]
Dendrimers	gp120 of HIV/AIDS	Effective treatment by multiple receptor binding	Phase II trials	3D	^[25]
Liposomes	HER2/neu and CD20/cancer	Increased anticancer efficacy	Preclinical	3E	^[77]
Gold nanoparticles	Transferrin receptor/cancer	Enhanced specific uptake by carcinoma cells	Preclinical	3F	^[86]
Magnetic nanoparticles	HER2/neu/cancer	Enhanced accumulation of nanomedicine	Preclinical	3G	^[89]
Multifunctional polymeric micelles	Folic acid receptor/cancer	Enhanced transport to tumor cells	Preclinical	4A	^[92]
Multifunctional dendrimers	Folic acid receptor/cancer	Enhanced transport to tumor cells	Preclinical	4B	^[93]
Multifunctional magnetic nanoparticles	MCF-7 breast cancer cells/cancer	Enhanced uptake of drug and nanomedicine without significant cytotoxicity	Preclinical	4C	^[95]

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Targeted Nanomedicines: Effective Treatment Modalities for Cancer, AIDS and Brain Disorders

Specific Targets in Brain Disorders

Tables

References

Authors and Disclosures

Authors and Disclosures

Sidebar

Executive Summary

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