PubMed Journal Database | Advanced drug delivery reviews

Lung imaging - Two dimensional gamma scintigraphy, SPECT, CT and PET.

This review will cover the principles of imaging the deposition of inhaled drugs and some of the state-of-the art imaging techniques being used today. Aerosol deposition can be imaged and quantified by the addition of a radiolabel to the aerosol formulation. The subsequent imaging of the inhaled deposition pattern can be acquired by different imaging techniques. Specifically, this review will focus on the use of two-dimensional planar, gamma scintigraphy, SPECT, CT and PET. This review will look at how thes...

Computational and visualization approaches in respiratory delivery.

Lymphatic drug delivery: therapy, imaging and nanotechnology.

Targeting dendritic cells with nano-particulate PLGA cancer vaccine formulations.

Development of safe and effective cancer vaccine formulation is a primary focus in the field of cancer immunotherapy. The recognition of the crucial role of dendritic cells (DCs) in initiating anti-tumor immunity has led to the development of several strategies that target vaccine antigens to DCs as an attempt for developing potent, specific and lasting anti-tumor T cell responses. The main objective of this review is to provide an overview on the application of poly (d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanopartic...

The role of the lymphatic system in vaccine trafficking and immune response.

The development and improvement of vaccines has been a significant endeavor on the part of the medical community for more than the last two centuries, and the success of these efforts is obvious when one considers the millions of lives that have been saved. Recent work in the field of vaccines, however, indicates that vaccines may be developed for even more challenging diseases than those previously addressed. It will be important in achieving this feat to account for the physical and chemical processes rel...

Translational imaging of lymphatics in cancer.

Imaging in the lymphatic system has gone through much advancement over the past 70years since its beginnings. In this review, we will examine the modalities available for lymphatic imaging. We will explore the modern uses of early modalities, such as ultrasound as well as more modern modalities, such as Positron-Emission Tomography (PET). We will also describe some of the new modalities currently in development and their potential uses for the future as well as some of the current imaging modalities being s...

Targeting the lymphatics using dendritic polymers (dendrimers).

Dendrimers are unique biomaterials that are constructed by the stepwise addition of layers (generations) of polymer around a central core. They can be constructed with a range of molecular weights and have a polyfunctional surface that facilitates the attachment of drugs and pharmacokinetic modifiers such PEG or targeting moieties. These properties have led to considerable interest in the development of dendrimers for a range of biomedical applications. After subcutaneous administration, larger dendrimers i...

Intestinal lymphatic transport for drug delivery.

Intestinal lymphatic transport has been shown to be an absorptive pathway following oral administration of lipids and an increasing number of lipophilic drugs, which once absorbed, diffuse across the intestinal enterocyte and while in transit associate with secretable enterocyte lipoproteins. The chylomicron-associated drug is then secreted from the enterocyte into the lymphatic circulation, rather than the portal circulation, thus avoiding the metabolically-active liver, but still ultimately returning to t...

Role of the lymphatics in cancer metastasis and chemotherapy applications.

The lymphatic system was first described centuries ago. The recent discovery of various molecular markers has allowed for more in-depth research of the lymphatic system and its role in health and disease. The lymphatic system has recently been elucidated as playing an active role in cancer metastasis. The knowledge of the active processes involved in lymphatic metastasis provides novel treatment targets for various malignancies.

Lymphatic drug delivery using engineered liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles.

The lymphatic system plays a crucial role in the immune system's recognition and response to disease, and most solid cancers initially spread from the primary site via the tumor's surrounding lymphatics before hematological dissemination. Hence, the lymphatic system is an important target for developing new vaccines, cancer treatments, and diagnostic agents. Targeting the lymphatic system by subcutaneous, intestinal, and pulmonary routes has been evaluated and subsequently utilized to improve lymphatic pene...

Imaging of the interaction of cancer cells and the lymphatic system.

A thorough understanding of the lymphatic system and its interaction with cancer cells is crucial to our ability to fight cancer metastasis. Efforts to study the lymphatic system had previously been limited by the inability to visualize the lymphatic system in vivo in real time. Fluorescence imaging can address these limitations and allow for visualization of lymphatic delivery and trafficking of cancer cells and potentially therapeutic agents as well. Here, we review recent articles in which antibody-fluor...

Advances in lymphatic imaging and drug delivery.

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death after heart disease in the US. While metastasized cancers such as breast, prostate, and colon are incurable, before their distant spread, these diseases have invaded the lymphatic system as a first step in their progression. Hence, proper evaluation of the disease state of the lymphatics which drain a tumor site is crucial to staging and the formation of a treatment plan. Current lymphatic imaging modalities with visible dyes and radionucleotide tracers offer...

LbL coated microcapsules for delivering lipid-based drugs.

Nowadays, more than 40% of new pharmacologically active compounds exhibit poor water solubility, which requires the development of the new methods for their administration and delivery. One of the most promising approaches for the development of such delivery systems is the use of layer-by-layer assembly technology for encapsulation of the lipid-based drugs. This technique permits the step-wise adsorption of various components as the layer growth is governed by their electrostatic attraction and allows the...

Magnetic nanomaterials for hyperthermia-based therapy and controlled drug delivery.

Previous attempts to review the literature on magnetic nanomaterials for hyperthermia-based therapy focused primarily on magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) using mono metallic/metal oxide nanoparticles. The term "hyperthermia" in the literature was also confined only to include use of heat for therapeutic applications. Recently, there have been a number of publications demonstrating magnetic nanoparticle-based hyperthermia to generate local heat resulting in the release of drugs either bound to the magnetic...

Stimuli-responsive LbL capsules and nanoshells for drug delivery.

Review of basic principles and recent developments in the area of stimuli responsive polymeric capsules and nanoshells formed via layer-by-layer (LbL) is presented. The most essential attributes of the LbL approach are multifunctionality and responsiveness to a multitude of stimuli. The stimuli can be logically divided into three categories: physical (light, electric, magnetic, ultrasound, mechanical, and temperature), chemical (pH, ionic strength, solvent, and electrochemical) and biological (enzymes and r...

Polymeric multilayer capsules delivering biotherapeutics.

Polymeric multilayer capsules have emerged as a novel drug delivery platform. These capsules are fabricated through layer-by-layer sequential deposition of polymers onto a sacrificial core template followed by the decomposition of this core yielding hollow capsules. The resulting nanometer thin membrane is permselective, allowing diffusion of water and ions but excluding larger molecules. Moreover, the sequential fabrication procedure allows a precise fine-tuning of the capsules' physicochemical and biologi...

Remote control over guidance and release properties of composite polyelectrolyte based capsules.

Polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules represent a unique tool to fabricate micron- and submicron-sized delivery systems with the properties of external guidance by means of remote physical influence. Embedding of nanoparticles into polyelectrolyte multilayer constructs opens up the opportunities to navigate the capsules with magnetic field and in-situ trigger the release of encapsulated material in response to the physical stimuli, such as light and ultrasound. So far, optically- and magnetically-induced addr...

pH- and sugar-sensitive layer-by-layer films and microcapsules for drug delivery.

The present review provides an overview on the recent progress in the development of pH- and sugar-sensitive layer-by-layer (LbL) thin films and microcapsules in relation to their potential applications in drug delivery. pH-sensitive LbL films and microcapsules have been studied for the development of peptide and protein drug delivery systems to the gastrointestinal tract, anti-cancer drugs to tumor cells, anti-inflammatory drugs to inflamed tissues, and the intracellular delivery of DNA, where pH is shifte...

Layer-by-layer self-assembled shells for drug delivery.

There are several requirements for the safe and effective delivery of therapeutic agents for human use. Direct injection of drugs may cause side effects due to their permeation to other, undiseased regions of the body so that concealment and targeting with appropriate materials is a critical consideration in the design of practical drug delivery systems. In particular, carriers with structures which can be flexibly controlled are more useful since functional structure units can be assembled in component-by-...

Layer-by-layer capsules for magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery.

Layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled polyelectrolyte capsules have demonstrated their unique advantages and capability in drug delivery applications. These ordered micro/nano-structures are also promising candidates as imaging contrast agents for diagnostic and theranostic applications. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), one of the most powerful clinical imaging modalities, is moving forward to the molecular imaging field and requires the availability of advanced imaging probes. In this review, we are focusin...

Drug-loaded polyelectrolyte microcapsules for sustained targeting of cancer cells.

In this review we will overview novel nanotechnological nanocarrier systems for cancer therapy focusing on recent development in polyelectrolyte capsules for targeted delivery of antineoplastic drugs against cancer cells. Biodegradable polyelectrolyte microcapsules (PMCs) are supramolecular assemblies of particular interest for therapeutic purposes, as they can be enzymatically degraded into viable cells, under physiological conditions. Incorporation of small bioactive molecules into nano-to-microscale deli...

Polymer assemblies for controlled delivery of bioactive molecules from surfaces.

Localized delivery of bioactive compounds from surfaces of biomedical devices affords significant therapeutic benefits, and often relies on the capability of surface coatings to provide spatial and temporal control over release rate. The layer-by-layer technique presents a unique means to construct surface coatings that can conform to a variety of biomaterial surfaces and serve as matrices enabling controlled delivery of bioactive molecules from surfaces. The versatility of layer-by-layer assembly enables c...

Introduction to nanocoatings produced by layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly.

Studies on the adsorption of oppositely charged colloidal particles ultimately resulted in multilayered polyelectrolyte self-assembly. The inception of layer-by-layer constructed particles facilitated the production of multifunctional, stimuli-responsive carrier systems. An array of synthetic and natural polyelectrolytes, metal oxides and clay nanoparticles is available for the construction of multilayered nanocoats on a multitude of substrates or removable cores. Numerous substrates can be encapsulated uti...

Layer-by-layer self-assembled nanoshells for drug delivery.

Focal adhesion kinase and its signaling pathways in cell migration and angiogenesis.

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase that plays critical roles in integrin-mediated signal transductions and also participates in signaling by other cell surface receptors. In integrin-mediated cell adhesion, FAK is activated via disruption of an auto-inhibitory intra-molecular interaction between its amino terminal FERM domain and the central kinase domain. The activated FAK forms a complex with Src family kinases, which initiates multiple downstream signaling pathways through phosp...