Current Drug Delivery - Volume 16, Issue 3, 2019

Dry powder inhalers are medical devices used to deliver powder formulations of active pharmaceutical ingredients via oral inhalation to the lungs. Drug particles, from a biological perspective, should reach the targeted site, dissolve and permeate through the epithelial cell layer in order to deliver a therapeutic effect. However, drug particle attributes that lead to a biological activity are not always consistent with the technic Read More

Graphene in nano form has proven to be one of the most remarkable materials. It has a single atom thick molecular structure and it possesses exceptional physical strength, electrical and electronic properties. Applications of the Graphene Family of Nanomaterials (GFNs) in different fields of therapy have emerged, including for targeted drug delivery in cancer, gene delivery, antimicrobial therapy, tissue engineering and mor Read More

Background: Genistein (Gen) is a naturally occurring soy isoflavonoid, possessing anticancer, antiproliferation & antioxidant-like properties. The disadvantage of poor solubility and less oral bioavailability restrict its use as a potential anticancer agent. Objectives: The current work was focused on the formulation and characterization of the genistein loaded nanostructured lipid carriers that can entrap enough quantity of the dru Read More

Background: Humanin is a novel neuronal peptide that has displayed potential in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease through the suppression of inflammatory IL-6 cytokine receptors. Such receptors are found throughout the body, including the eye, suggesting its other potential applications. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the developing world. There is no cure for this disease, and Read More

Objective: The label free ultrasmall fluorescent ferrite clusters have been engineered in a controlled fashion which was stabilized by serum protein and functionalized by folic acid for the application of targeted multimodal optical and Magnetic Resonance (MR) cancer imaging. Methods: The ultra-small manganese ferrite nanoclusters (PMNCs) with a diameter of 4 nm have a commendable effect on the longitudinal (T1) and tr Read More

Objective: The study describes the development of chitosan-based (AMPS-co-AA) semi-IPN hydrogels using free radical polymerization technique. Methods: The resulting hydrogels were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), X-Ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The successful crosslinking of Read More

Background: The use of Misonidazole (MISO), the first and a potential hypoxic tumor cell radiosensitizer, has been limited by peripheral neurotoxicity, thus discouraging phase III clinical trials. Objective: To develop a targeted drug delivery and tracing System with pH-sensitive liposomes (SpHLs) and Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) to counter MISO-related adverse effects and to enable tra Read More

The advances and the impact of nanostructured systems on therapeutics constitute a constantly evolving reality. New strategies have been developed for drug delivery control and for directing these systems to the targeted site improving the therapy. In this commentary, the lectins are briefly reviewed; their fundamentals and the proposed applications as ligands in nanostructured drug delivery systems are discussed.