Current Drug Delivery - Volume 2, Issue 4, 2005

Editorial: Lipid-Based Nanosystems and Complexes in Experimental and Clinical Therapeutics An intriguing spectrum of novel nanoparticulate systems and complex nanostructures, some with remarkable diagnostic and biomimetic properties and others suitable for site-specific drug delivery and targeting are in existence today. Examples include quantum dots, capable of labelling biological systems for detection by op Read More

Nanoemulsions, usually spherical, are a group of dispersed particles used for pharmaceutical and biomedical aids and vehicles that show great promise for the future of cosmetics, diagnostics, drug therapies and biotechnologies. They exist in a wide variety of forms that are dictated by the particle components. Nanoemulsions are generally considered to be in the size range of less than and around 100 nm in diameter. The Read More

Successful homing of drugs to the desired biological compartment of the host usually depends on the intrinsic properties of the drug molecules. However, it can always be manipulated by appropriate designing of the carrier/ delivery system, as little can be done to influence the target and its surroundings. Various carrier systems have emerged to deliver drugs to macrophages, albeit the efficacy, reliability and selectivity of th Read More

Micelles, self-assembling nanosized colloidal particles with a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic shell are currently successfully used for the solubilization of various poorly soluble pharmaceuticals and demonstrate a series of attractive properties as drug carriers. Polymeric micelles, i.e. micelles formed by amphiphilic block co-polymers possess high stability both in vitro and in vivo and good biocompatibility. Among those Read More

Phospholipid nanosomes are small, uniform liposomes manufactured utilizing supercritical fluid technologies. Supercritical fluids are first used to solvate phospholipid raw materials, and then decompressed to form phospholipid nanosomes that can encapsulate hydrophilic molecules such as proteins and nucleic acids. Hydrophobic therapeutics are co-solvated with phospholipid raw materials in supercritical fluids that, when d Read More

The introduction of combination chemotherapeutic regimens for the treatment of childhood leukaemia in the 1960s provided the proof-of-principle that cytotoxic drugs were capable of curing cancer. However, in the four decades since this discovery, the majority of cancers still cannot be cured by chemotherapy. Clinical evidence supports the hypothesis of Goldie and Coldman that treating cancers with all the available effective Read More

The selectivity of anticancer drugs in targeting the tumour tissue presents a major problem in cancer treatment. In this article we review a new generation of smart liposomal nanocarriers that can be used for enhanced anticancer drug and prodrug delivery to tumours. The liposomes are engineered to be particularly degradable to secretory phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), which is a lipid hydrolyzing enzyme that is significantly Read More

Active targeting of angiogenic vasculature represents a promising therapeutic strategy to fight a variety of diseases. In particular, attention has been focused on inhibition of tumor growth. In this review, the recent progress in targeting liposomes to angiogenic endothelial cells is discussed.

Selective targeting of ligand-targeted liposomes containing anticancer drugs or therapeutic genes to cell surface receptors expressed on cancer cells is a recognized strategy for improving the therapeutic effectiveness of conventional chemotherapeutics or gene therapeutics. Some recent advances in the field of ligand-targeted liposomes for the treatment of cancer are summarized including: selection criteria for the recep Read More

Lipopeptides incorporating epitopes for CD4+ T cells and either CD8+ T cells or B cells have proven to be immunogenic in animal models and in humans and are well tolerated in these species. This form of vaccine candidate has great benefits over competing technology in terms of providing a totally synthetic and pure product that is effective when administered in the absence of any adjuvant, and is immunogenic when delive Read More

Dramatic developments in vaccinology and immunology over the last decade have led to the identification of novel antigens, adjuvants and delivery systems, and combinations thereof, that may prove to be highly efficacious vaccines. Despite this explosion in technological developments, in reality, very few novel vaccines for human use have reached the market. Liposomes are one of the most intensively studied areas of va Read More

The development of novel 'new generation' vaccine systems that is based on proteins, peptides or DNA is of great current interest. However, due to the lower efficiencies of these new generation vaccines, they are seldomly used alone. Rather, their formulations often contain adjuvants, either to enhance the immune responses or to reduce dosing. The present chapter will provide a brief overview of the recent advances in peptid Read More

Archaeosomes are liposomes made from the polar ether lipids of Archaea. These lipids are unique and distinct in structure from the ester lipids found in Eukarya and Bacteria. The regularly branched and usually fully saturated isopranoid chains of archaeal polar lipids are attached via ether bonds to the sn-2,3 carbons of the glycerol backbone(s). The polar head groups are usually the same as those encountered in the ester l Read More

A wide variety of lipid molecules used as gene carriers has been reported and compared over the last twenty years. This review highlights a few examples of mechanistic analysis applied to the study of lipid carriers. The modular nature of the lipid structure offers itself up to a controlled, systematic analysis. Key to exploring structural variants is the understanding of the role each component and module plays in the forma Read More

Implementation of the high-throughput microarray gene expression profiling technology towards "toxicogenomics" has advanced identification process for safer drugs in the century of 'omics' technology. Applying such technology, in fact, to identify mechanisms for cellular toxicity can provide a means to clarify safety liabilities early in the drug discovery and developments process. The underlying principle in gene thera Read More

Self-assembling amphiphilic lipids or polymers have been successfully used in pharmacotherapy as drug solvents or carriers, improving the bioavailability of water-insoluble drugs. This review focuses on an unusual hypersensitivity reaction (HSR) caused by a micellar (Cremophor EL, CrEL) and a monomeric block copolymer (poloxamer 188) representative of these systems. The HSRs, also referred to as anaphylactoid Read More