Mechanisms of cellular uptake of nanoparticles and their effect on drug delivery
In the field of diagnosis and treatment in contemporary medicine, nanoparticles (NPs) are an important novelty. They are drug delivery systems on the nanometer scale, whose uptake mechanisms and routes of internalization differ, depending on their properties. For successful treatment, it is cru...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Slovenian Medical Association
2012-03-01
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| Series: | Zdravniški Vestnik |
| Online Access: | http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/568 |
| Summary: | In the field of diagnosis and treatment in contemporary
medicine, nanoparticles (NPs) are an important
novelty. They are drug delivery systems on
the nanometer scale, whose uptake mechanisms
and routes of internalization differ, depending on
their properties. For successful treatment, it is crucially
important to understand the interplay between
uptake mechanisms and NP properties. In
this article mechanisms of NP uptake and the subsequent
intracellular events are presented. NPs can
enter cells via phagocytotic or non-phagocytotic
pathways (clathrin-mediated endocytosis, caveolae-
mediated endocytosis, macropinocytosis, other
endocytotic pathways). The route of internalization
determines the site of drug release, which can
be in the acidic and enzyme rich environment of
lysosomes, or NPs avoid this compartment and
release drug in the cytosol or another organelle.
This process can be controlled by a careful selection
of NP ingredients and precise design of their
physico-chemical properties (size, shape, surface
properties). Phagocytosis is generally undesirable,
since its main purpose is the elimination of foreign
materials from the body, and therefore the drug
taken up in this way is usually lost. To avoid this
internalization mechanism, the particles should
be small showing a hydrophilic surface. However,
the most successful approach is to attach ligands to
the NP surface, which governs the uptake through
non-phagocytotic mechanisms. Knowledge about
cellular uptake mechanisms is crucial for predicting
drug delivery to the target site in the cell, since
it can lead to better stability of NPs and preserved
biological activity of labile drugs. |
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| ISSN: | 1318-0347 1581-0224 |