Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 28, 2025
Uptake of New Lipid-coated Nanoparticles Containing Falcarindiol by Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Published on: February 9, 2019
Nanostructured Polymeric, Liposomal and Other Materials to Control the Drug Delivery for Cardiovascular Diseases
Dimitrios Skourtis1, Dimitra Stavroulaki1, Varvara Athanasiou1
1Industrial Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografou, GR-15771 Athens, Greece.
Insights
Nanomedicine offers new hope for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) by enabling targeted drug delivery. Nanoparticles improve treatment effectiveness and patient quality of life for heart conditions.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Nanotechnology
- Cardiology
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading global cause of mortality, accounting for 17.9 million deaths annually.
- Current therapies for CVDs have limited success due to poor drug biodistribution, impacting patient quality of life.
- Nanomedicine presents innovative strategies to overcome these limitations in cardiovascular treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review novel nanotechnologies for targeted and prolonged therapeutic delivery to the cardiovascular system.
- To explore the potential of various nanomaterials for encapsulating approved drugs for controlled CVD treatment.
- To discuss biomaterials investigated for effective, minimally invasive cardiovascular interventions.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on nanomedicine applications in cardiovascular diseases.
- Analysis of natural and synthetic nanomaterials (liposomes, polymers, inorganic materials) for drug encapsulation.
- Discussion of therapeutic interventions utilizing nanoparticles for targeted delivery to the injured heart.
Main Results:
- Nanoparticles offer a promising platform for controlled drug delivery in CVDs.
- Various natural and synthetic nanomaterials are being investigated for encapsulating existing drugs.
- Targeted delivery systems aim to minimize side effects and improve treatment efficacy.
Conclusions:
- Nanomedicine holds significant potential for advancing cardiovascular disease treatment.
- Biomaterials in nanomedicine enable more targeted and effective therapies.
- The development of nanotechnologies paves the way for improved, minimally invasive treatments for heart conditions.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, representing one third of global mortality. As existing therapies still have limited success, due to the inability to control the biodistribution of the currently approved drugs, the quality of life of these patients is modest. The advent of nanomedicine has brought new insights in innovative treatment strategies. For this reason, several novel nanotechnologies have been developed for both targeted and prolonged delivery of therapeutics to the cardiovascular system tο minimize side effects. In this regard, nanoparticles made of natural and/or synthetic nanomaterials, like liposomes, polymers or inorganic materials, are emerging alternatives for the encapsulation of already approved drugs to control their delivery in a targeted way. Therefore, nanomedicine has attracted the attention of the scientific community as a potential platform to deliver therapeutics to the injured heart. In this review, we discuss the current types of biomaterials that have been investigated as potential therapeutic interventions for CVDs as they open up a host of possibilities for more targeted and effective therapies, as well as minimally invasive treatments.
