Sirolimus (rapamycin) is a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor with immunosuppressive, antiproliferative, antiangiogenic, antifungal, anti-restenosis and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its clinical application is often hampered by poor aqueous solubility, first-pass metabolism, transport by p-glycoprotein efflux pump, limited oral bioavailability and nonspecific distribution in off-target sites. Recently, various formulation strategies have emerged to overcome these limitations. Among these, pharmaceutical nanotechnology with numerous advantages has great potential for sirolimus delivery. Up to now, the only nanoparticle based FDA approved formulation in the market is Rapamune tablet which is composed of drug nanocrystals. This review focuses on recent studies that have been investigated various nanostructured carriers such as liposomes, micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, nanocrystals, magnetic nanoparticles, albumin nanoparticles, solid dispersion nanoparticles and niosomes for sirolimus delivery (in organ transplantation, cancer, vascular restenosis, etc.).
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.