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Nanopharmaceuticals attacking atherosclerosis
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Many drugs have low solubility, stability, and a short biological half-life, which limits their clinical application or contributes to the increase in adverse effects. Nanodrugs have emerged to improve their bioavailability and controlled release, with a size below 1000 nm. Nanopharmaceuticals can be in the form of liposomes, polymeric micelles, microemulsions, and nanoemulsions, among others, contributing to the transfer of the drug to the site of therapeutic interest. According to market segmentation, the creation of these nanodrugs has increased in therapies for cancer, autoimmune treatments, and inflammation.
Atherosclerosis, a condition involving the accumulation of fats, cholesterol, and other substances within the arteries, could be treated through nanopharmaceuticals. Generally, this condition is treated with hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (CD), an FDA-approved drug that allows capturing, solubilizing, and administering lipophilic drugs, in addition to dissolving cholesterol crystals and decreasing the size of the atherosclerotic plaque; however, CD has low retention time, which means that high doses are required for successful therapy.
Figure: Theranostic nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized with n-butylcyanoacrylate (BCA).
Courtesy: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/smll.202200967.
Researchers at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute created nanoparticles from airborne poly butyl-cyanoacrylate (with diameters of 388 ± 34 nm), loaded with CDs. This synergy between the nanoparticle and the drug and activated by ultrasound allows the significant reduction of cholesterol content effectively in murine cells, unlike the administration of CD alone. Thus, this nanodrug represents a potential application in patients with atherosclerosis.
Writing by
Claudia Mejía Morales, PhD
Research and Development Analyst at Drox Health Science. Ph.D in Biosystematics, Ecology and Management of Natural and Agricultural Resources, with orientation in Biotic Products; Master in Environmental Sciences, with orientation in Environmental Technology. With 10 publications in national and international indexed journals.
Sources:
1. Li, Z., Zhao, T., Li, J., Yu, Q., Feng, Y., Xie, Y., & Sun, P. (2022). Nanomedicine Based on Natural Products: Improving Clinical Application Potential. Journal of Nanomaterials, 2022.
2. Mehta, S., Bongcaron, V., Nguyen, T. K., Jirwanka, Y., Maluenda, A., Walsh, A. P., ... & Peter, K. (2022). An Ultrasound‐Responsive Theranostic Cyclodextrin‐Loaded Nanoparticle for Multimodal Imaging and Therapy for Atherosclerosis. Small, 2200967.
