Factors affecting drug and gene delivery: effects of interaction with blood components

Targeted drug delivery systems have been used extensively to improve the pharmacological and therapeutic activities of a wide variety of drugs and genes. In this article, we summarize the factors determining the tissue disposition of delivery systems: the physicochemical and biological characteristics of the delivery system and the anatomic and physiological characteristics of the tissues. There are several modes of drug and gene targeting, ranging from passive to active targeting, and each of these can be achieved by optimizing the design of the delivery system to suit a specific aim. After entering the systemic circulation, either by an intravascular injection or through absorption from an administration site, however, a delivery system encounters a variety of blood components, including blood cells and a range of serum proteins. These components are by no means inert as far as interaction with the delivery system is concerned, and they can sometimes markedly effect its tissue disposition. The interaction with blood components is known to occur with particulate delivery systems, such as liposomes, or with cationic charge-mediated delivery systems for genes. In addition to these rather nonspecific ones, interactions via the targeting ligand of the delivery system can occur. We recently found that mannosylated carriers interact with serum mannan binding protein, greatly altering their tissue disposition in a number of ways that depend on the properties of the carriers involved.