New materials for drug delivery and targeting

作者：Gref Ruxandra^*; Couvreur Patrick

来源：Actualite Chimique, 2011, 353-54: 88-91.

• Nanomedicine
• nanoassemblies
• nanoparticles
• squalene
• self-assembled polymers
• anticancer activity
• antiviral activity
• polycyclodextrins
• hydrophobic dextran

New materials for drug delivery and targeting
Although the introduction of nanotechnology in pharmacology ("nanomedicine") has revolutionized the delivery of drugs, allowing the emergence of new treatments with improved specificity, it is certain that currently available nanomedicines have not been able to improve the activity of a large number of drugs used to fight cancer, infections or metabolic disorders. These failures are due to the poor drug loading, the rapid release of the encapsulated drug after administration and the difficulty of designing synthetic materials which combine low toxicity, lack of immunogenicity, biodegradability and do not accumulate in cells or tissues. There is therefore an urgent need for new ideas to revolutionize drug delivery. A key issue is the introduction of better and safer (bio)materials for drug targeting purposes. This article describes the development of two original nanotechnologies. The first is the so called "squalenoylation" concept which is based on the bioconjugation of various anticancer or antiviral compounds to the squalene, a natural and biocompatible lipid. The second is based on two neutral polymers which may completely associate together in water to spontaneously form supramolecular nanoassemblies of spherical shape.

• 出版日期2011-8