Drug delivery carriers with therapeutic functions

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Traditional drug carriers focus on physical properties (size, charge, etc.) for optimal drug delivery.
• Stimulus-sensitive moieties enable "smart" drug delivery systems.
• An emerging trend is to design carriers with intrinsic therapeutic functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in designing therapeutic drug carriers with inherent biological benefits.
• To highlight carriers that act as therapeutic agents, not just passive delivery vehicles.
• To discuss strategies for enhancing overall therapeutic efficacy through carrier functionalization.

Main Methods:

• Review of literature over the past decade on therapeutic drug carrier design.
• Analysis of carriers engineered with specific biological functions (e.g., ROS modulation, inflammation control, immune evasion).

Main Results:

• Development of drug carriers with active therapeutic roles, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging or generation.
• Design of carriers with immunomodulatory properties (pro- or anti-inflammatory) and immune-evasive capabilities.
• Demonstration that functionalized carriers can significantly enhance overall therapeutic outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Therapeutic drug carriers are evolving from passive delivery systems to active therapeutic agents.
• Incorporating biological functions into carriers offers a promising strategy to improve treatment efficacy.
• Future research should focus on developing multifunctional carriers for enhanced therapeutic outcomes.