Targeted Nanoparticles Open Up Cartilage to Drug Delivery
Summary posted by Meridian on 2/25/2008
Source: In-Pharmatechnologist
Author: Pete Mansell
Researchers from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and the University of Massachusetts in the U.S. have developed polymeric nanoparticles that could be used to administer and maintain drugs in cartilage. The article says that the finding could enable treatment of osteoarthritis, which is currently challenged by the denseness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of articular cartridge and the lack of vascularized tissue in cartilage. The article says that the nanoparticles, which are made of polypropylene sulphide, are small enough to enter and remain in the ECM. The researchers injected two different sizes of the nanoparticles into the knees of mice and report that “the larger functionalised nanoparticles were generally unable to penetrate the cartilage matrix, whereas the [smaller] particles were small enough to enter the matrix and convert it from a barrier to a reservoir, preventing the rapid release of the nanoparticles and their clearance from the tissue site.” The article can be viewed online at the link below.
The original article may still be available at www.in-pharmatechnologist.com/news/ng.asp?n=83308-drug-delivery-cartila...
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