Abstract:
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.
Graphical Abstract
Preexisting antimalarial nanocarriers and targeting molecules (gray boxes) have been modified in their nanocapsule, targeting molecule and drug cargo to adapt them to new therapeutic strategies against malaria parasites
Key words
Glycosaminoglycans; Malaria; Nanomedicine; Plasmodium; Targeted drug delivery
Citation: Joana Marques, Juan Jose Valle-Delgado, Patricia Urban, Elisabet Baro, Rafel Prohens, Alfredo Mayor, Pau Cistero, Michael Delves, Robert E. Sinden, FMedScie, Christian Grandfils, José L. de Paz, José A. García-Salcedo, Xavier Fernàndez-Busquets Adaptation Of Targeted Nanocarriers To Changing Requirements In Antimalarial Drug Delivery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nano.2016.09.010
Received: 13 November 2015, Accepted: 25 September 2016, Available online: 5 October 2016
Copyright: © 2016 2016 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Acknowledgments
We are indebted to the Cytomics Unit of the Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) for technical help, and to Dr. Joan Estelrich (Departament de Fisicoquímica, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona) for access to liposome assembly facilities.