Nanomedicine Flashcards
What are the challenges associated with biologics?
In general, many medications such as peptide and protein, antibody, vaccine and gene-based drugs are usually not administered using these routes.
This is because they might be susceptible to enzymatic degradation & can not be absorbed into the systemic circulation efficiently due to molecular size and charge issues to be therapeutically effective.
Biologics are routinely delivered by injection.
There is a need for advanced delivery systems that can protect and target biologics to site of action.
What are the challenges associated with chemotherapy?
Chemotherapeutic agents are highly toxic.
Conventional dosage forms (mostly parenteral) lead to systemic delivery of these agents.
Wide distribution to non-affected healthy body tissues:
Underside side-effects (highly toxic).
Poor bioavailability & efficacy (lack of targeting).
There is a need for advanced delivery systems that can achieve targeted delivery to tumors with minimal off target toxicity & side effects.
What is the definition of nanomedicine?
Application of nanotechnology for treatment, diagnosis, monitoring, and control of biological systems.
What is the definition of nanotechnology?
An area of science devoted to the manipulation of atoms and molecules leading to the construction of structures in the nanometer scale size (often 100 nm or smaller).
What is the role of nanocarriers?
Nanocarriers can deliver 2 to 10 times more drug to solid tumour compared to free form thus increased efficacy decreased toxicity.
What are the advantages of nanocarriers?
Decreased dosing frequency.
Reduced rate of rise of drug concentration in blood.
Sustained and consistent blood level within the therapeutic window.
Enhanced bioavailability.
To achieve a targeted drug release.
Reduced side effects.
Improved patient compliance.
What are the main classes of nanocarriers?
Polymer-based.
Lipid-based.
Modified-conventional and nano systems.
What are polymeric micelles?
Micelles are aggregates of amphiphilic molecules in
water, with the hydrophobic portions in the interior and the polar portions at the exterior surface, exposed to water.
What are dendrimers?
These are repetitively branched molecules which are constructed around a simple core unit.
The structure of dendrimers possess three distinct units: central core, branches and the terminal functional group.
Dendrimers have a high degree of molecular uniformity, narrow molecular weight distribution, specific size and shape characteristics and a highly- functionalized terminal surface.
What are liposomes?
These are simple microscopic (lipid) vesicles in which an aqueous volume is entirely enclosed by a membrane composed of lipid molecule.
The drug molecules can either be encapsulated in aqueous space or intercalated into the lipid bilayer.
Amphiphilic molecules are used to form liposomes.
What are solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)?
SLNs are particles made from solid lipids and stabilised by surfactants.
They are are submicron spherical colloidal carriers which are composed of a physiological lipid that is dispersed in water or in an aqueous surfactant solution.
They have macromolecular materials in which the active principle is dissolved, entrapped, and or to which the active principle is adsorbed or attached.
They are relatively safe, as organic solvents are not used in their formulation.
What are the advantages of solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)?
Are useful to achieve controlled and targeted drug release.
Excellent biocompatibility due to lipids and protection of incorporated drug against chemical degradation.
Improved stability of several pharmaceuticals.
High and enhanced drug content.
Easy to scale up and sterilize as required.
Enhanced bioavailability of entrapped bioactive compounds.
In most instances, they are much easier to manufacture than biopolymeric nanoparticles.
What are carbon nanotubes?
Carbon nanotubes are made of single or multi-layered graphene sheet rolled up in a cylinder shape. The tips are sealed with two caps.
They have remarkable thermal and electrical properties and the containers hold various materials on the nano- scale level.
They have been used for the delivery of anticancer agents, gene, protein and immunoactive compounds.
