From blood to brain: blood cell-based biomimetic drug delivery systems

Abstract

Brain drug delivery remains a major difficulty for several challenges including the blood-brain barrier, lesion spot targeting, and stability during circulation. Blood cells including erythrocytes, platelets, and various subpopulations of leukocytes have distinct features such as long-circulation, natural targeting, and chemotaxis. The development of biomimetic drug delivery systems based on blood cells for brain drug delivery is growing fast by using living cells, membrane coating nanotechnology, or cell membrane-derived nanovesicles. Blood cell-based vehicles are superior delivery systems for their engineering feasibility and versatile delivery ability of chemicals, proteins, and all kinds of nanoparticles. Here, we focus on advances of blood cell-based biomimetic carriers for from blood to brain drug delivery and discuss their translational challenges in the future.

Reassembling of albumin-bound paclitaxel mitigates myelosuppression and improves its antitumoral efficacy via neutrophil-mediated targeting drug delivery

“…Cell-based drug delivery is a promising way to mitigate systemic side effects and improve therapeutic effect of chemical drugs (Pierige et al., 2008 ; Gutiérrez Millán et al., 2012 ; Yu et al., 2020 ). More importantly, blood cells including erythrocytes, PLTs and leukocytes naturally have the ability to cross blood brain barriers which have been used for drug delivery (Xue et al., 2017 ; Li et al., 2021 ). Neutrophils are the most abundant circulating leukocytes activated quickly and recruited to the inflammatory or infection sites the first time.…”

Overcoming the blood–brain barrier for the therapy of malignant brain tumor: current status and prospects of drug delivery approaches

“…In this context, the use of cells as carriers is a promising strategy for overcoming the BBB for the delivery of therapeutics to the brain tumor [352]. Various cells with brain tumor tropism have been investigated as carriers, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), macrophages, neutrophils, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and monocytes [353]. However, drug loading into these cells is a challenging task.…”

“…Erythrocytes, or red blood cells (RBCs), are the major components of blood and the main carriers of oxygen to the tissues via blood flow through the circulatory system. They possess several properties making them suitable for drug delivery [353]. However, the use of individual cells for drug delivery to mediate cancer treatment is not sufficient, because erythrocytes cannot migrate across the endothelial barrier and therefore deliver the drug to the tumor zone [363].…”

Recent Progress in Red Blood Cells-Derived Particles as Novel Bioinspired Drug Delivery Systems: Challenges and Strategies for Clinical Translation

“…It has been difficult for drug delivery systems to cross the BBB and ingress into the neural region despite considerable advancement in the field. This makes the treatment of brain diseases very challenging and the success rate with regards to encephalopathy stands very low ( Li et al, 2021 ). RBC membrane cloaking will make it trouble-free for any molecule or nanoparticle to have their way across the BBB as their membrane properties possess the privilege of passing through all the systems of the body.…”