Emerging vesicular nanosystems capable of effectively targeting hepatocytes

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Hepatology

Background:

• Liver diseases are globally prevalent, necessitating advanced therapeutic strategies.
• Hepatocytes are key targets for liver disease treatment, but direct targeting is challenging.
• Nanomedicines show promise, but efficient hepatocyte delivery faces physiological hurdles like limited fenestration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent developments in vesicular nanotechnologies for hepatocyte delivery.
• To discuss challenges and advancements in targeting hepatocytes since 2022.
• To highlight strategies for optimizing nanomedicine design for liver disease treatment.

Main Methods:

• Review of English-language scientific literature published since 2022.
• Focus on vesicular nanotechnologies including lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, niosomes, and lipid calcium phosphate nanoparticles.
• Analysis of nanomedicine design principles for overcoming hepatocyte delivery challenges.

Main Results:

• Significant progress has been made in designing nanomedicines with optimized size and surface properties.
• Hepatocyte-specific targeting ligands enhance delivery efficiency.
• Various nanocarriers show promise from pre-clinical research to clinical applications.

Conclusions:

• Vesicular nanotechnologies represent a significant advancement in targeted hepatocyte delivery.
• Further research is needed in model development and novel nanosystems for diseased states.
• Optimized nanomedicines hold great potential for improving liver disease therapeutics.