Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Encapsulation
Drug
Nanoparticle with drug
Nanoparticle
Nanoparticle get
endocytosed by the
cell
Degradation of nanoparticle to
release drug
Uptake of nanoparticle through intracellular
membrane; localisation and internalisation
Figure 14.5
Systemic uptake of nanoparticle through intracellular membrane,
localization and internalisation.
resistance [50, 51, 52]. Resistance of
M. tuberculosis
to anti-TB agents is a
worldwide problem in both immunocompetent and HIV-infected popula-
tions [53, 54]. h ough many new antibiotics have come into existence but
treatment of such intracellular pathogens still remains a problem as the
infection remain localized within phagocytic cells and most of the antibi-
otic are highly active
in vitro
, so they do not actively pass through cellular
membrane and therefore it's dii cult to achieve the relatively high concen-
tration of the drugs within the infected cells [55, 56].
To solve this problem of intracellular chemotherapy there is a need to
design such a carrier system for antibiotics that could ei ciently endocy-
tosed by phagocytic cells and once inside the cells should prolong release
of antibiotics so that the number of doses frequency and drug toxicity can
be reduced
as
in Figure 14.5 (above).
All these problems associated with the chemotherapy led to the inves-
tigation of drug carriers for treating intracellular pathogens such as anti-
biotics loaded into liposomes, microspheres, polymeric nanoparticles, and
nanoplexes [57, 58]. Present ef orts are being in progress in improving
treatment of diseases by shortening time period of treatment or using new
carrier based drug delivery strategies in addition to alternative adminis-
tration routes, which have important role in improving anti-tubercular
chemotherapy ei cacy, thus enhancing patient's compliance, and reduc-
ing dosing frequency. Nanotechnology can be dei ned as formation of the
