Nanofilm will hide drugs from the immune system
Scientists at the University of California (Los Angeles) and Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) have developed another method of controlled drug delivery to cellular targets that does not cause a reaction from the immune system.
The authors used a polymer film about 4 nm thick (several orders of magnitude thinner than traditional coatings used for drug delivery) to create a matrix that provides packaging and slow release of an anti-inflammatory drug.
The use of the proposed nanosystem will provide controlled, slow (for weeks or even longer) and localized release of drugs. This will increase the effectiveness of medicines and reduce the likelihood of side effects compared to oral administration, in which drugs enter the bloodstream and quickly spread throughout the body.
Scientists have covered tiny chips with layers of inert polymer nanofilm, making them "invisible" to the body's immune system. After that, the anti-inflammatory drug dexamethasone was introduced between the layers of the film and chips were implanted in mice. The mice of the comparison group were injected with chips not covered with a film, and intact animals were used as a control group.
Chips without a film caused the development of inflammatory reactions in the surrounding tissues, which led to rejection of the implant and disruption of its functionality. At the same time, the tissues of the animals of the control group and the experimental group were almost identical. This demonstrated the ability of the polymer film to make the implant invisible to the body's defense systems.
The authors believe that the approach they have developed makes it possible to create minimally invasive biocompatible dosage forms for the delivery of a wide range of therapeutic drugs or their combinations directly to the destination (for example, to a tumor), as well as to increase the service life of widely used implants, such as stents, pacemakers and glucose meters.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of ScienceDaily.
30.01.2008