subject: NANOTECHNOLOGY IN MEDICINE [print this page] Nanotechnology, over recent years, has seen a surge in research activity, with great potential in a wide range of applications including drug delivery, diagnostics, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The development of tools like the scanning tunneling microscope and the atomic force microscope has enabled researchers to observe structures on the nanoscale, where materials may exhibit different properties due to their size.
Also, the development of new materials like carbon nanotubes and buckyballs, along with the improved understanding of the molecular processes linked to diseases has provided novel approaches in improving current therapeutic and diagnostic tools.
The majority of current commercial applications of nanotechnology to medicine are geared towards drug delivery to enable new modes of action, as well as better targeting and bioavailability of existing medicinal substances.
The aim of this paper is to present the various aspects, the benefits and disadvantages of nanotechnology in the field of medicine, considering drug delivery as a major aspect.
In drug delivery, nanotechnology is just beginning to make an impact. Many of the current "nano" drug delivery systems, however, are remnants of conventional drug delivery systems that happen to be in the nanometer range, such as liposome, polymeric micelles, nanoparticles, dendrimers, and nanocrystals.
The importance of nanotechnology in drug delivery is in the concept and ability to manipulate molecules and supramolecular structures for producing devices with programmed functions. The nanoparticles used for drug delivery present a mechanism to overcome the challenges posed by other drug delivery systems.
Some of the challenges of most drug deliverysystems include poor bioavailability, in vivo stability, solubility, intestinal absorption,sustained and targeted delivery to site ofaction, therapeutic effectiveness, side effects,and plasma fluctuations of drugs which eitherfall below the minimum effectiveconcentrations or exceed the safe therapeuticconcentrations. However, nanotechnology indrug delivery is an approach designed toovercome these challenges due to thedevelopment and fabrication ofnanostructures at submicron scale andnanoscale which are mainly polymeric andhave multiple advantages.Generally, nanostructures have the ability toprotect drugs encapsulated within them fromhydrolytic and enzymatic degradation in thegastrointestinal tract; target the delivery of awide range of drugs to various areas of thebody for sustained release and thus are ableto deliver drugs, proteins and genes throughthe peroral route of administration.They increase oral bioavailability ofdrugs due to their specialized uptakemechanisms such as absorptive endocytosisand are able to remain in the blood circulationfor a longer time, releasing the incorporateddrug in a sustained and continuous mannerleading to less plasma fluctuations therebyminimizing side-effects caused by drugs.
Finally, nanotechnology has a great potential in revolutionizing the drug delivery field, but realizing such a potential requires harmonized efforts among scientists in different disciplines and continued support by funding agencies.
