Adaptation of targeted nanocarriers to changing requirements in antimalarial drug delivery

• Main Author: Marques, Joana
• Publication Date: 2017
• Other Authors: Valle-Delgado, Juan José, Urbán, Patricia, Baró, Elisabet, Prohens, Rafel, Mayor, Alfredo, Cisteró, Pau, Delves, Michael, Sinden, Robert E., Grandfils, Christian, de Paz, José L., García-Salcedo, José A., Fernàndez-Busquets, Xavier
• Format: Article
• Language: eng
• Source: Repositórios Científicos de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (RCAAP)
• Download full: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2016.09.010
• topic: Glycosaminoglycans; Malaria; Nanomedicine; Plasmodium; Targeted drug delivery; Bioengineering; Medicine (miscellaneous); Molecular Medicine; Biomedical Engineering; Materials Science(all); Pharmaceutical Science; SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

The adaptation of existing antimalarial nanocarriers to new Plasmodium stages, drugs, targeting molecules, or encapsulating structures is a strategy that can provide new nanotechnology-based, cost-efficient therapies against malaria. We have explored the modification of different liposome prototypes that had been developed in our group for the targeted delivery of antimalarial drugs to Plasmodium-infected red blood cells (pRBCs). These new models include: (i) immunoliposome-mediated release of new lipid-based antimalarials; (ii) liposomes targeted to pRBCs with covalently linked heparin to reduce anticoagulation risks; (iii) adaptation of heparin to pRBC targeting of chitosan nanoparticles; (iv) use of heparin for the targeting of Plasmodium stages in the mosquito vector; and (v) use of the non-anticoagulant glycosaminoglycan chondroitin 4-sulfate as a heparin surrogate for pRBC targeting. The results presented indicate that the tuning of existing nanovessels to new malaria-related targets is a valid low-cost alternative to the de novo development of targeted nanosystems.