<p>Advances in nanocarriers as drug delivery systems in Chagas disease</p>

Abstract

Chagas disease is one of the most important public health problems in Latin America due to its high mortality and morbidity levels. There is no effective treatment for this disease since drugs are usually toxic with low bioavailability. Serious efforts to achieve disease control and eventual eradication have been unsuccessful to date, emphasizing the need for rapid diagnosis, drug development, and a reliable vaccine. Novel systems for drug and vaccine administration based on nanocarriers represent a promising avenue for Chagas disease treatment. Nanoparticulate systems can reduce toxicity, and increase the efficacy and bioavailability of active compounds by prolonging release, and therefore improve the therapeutic index. Moreover, nanoparticles are able to interact with the host’s immune system, modulating the immune response to favour the elimination of pathogenic microorganisms. In addition, new advances in diagnostic assays, such as nanobiosensors, are beneficial in that they enable precise identification of the pathogen. In this review, we provide an overview of the strategies and nanocarrier-based delivery systems for antichagasic agents, such as liposomes, micelles, nanoemulsions, polymeric and non-polymeric nanoparticles. We address recent progress, with a particular focus on the advances of nanovaccines and nanodiagnostics, exploring new perspectives on Chagas disease treatment.

Nanocarrier-enhanced intracellular delivery of benznidazole for treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi infection

“…The development of drug nanocarriers has revolutionized therapeutics by permitting drug transport to specific organs, cells, and intracellular targets, thus reducing toxicity and enhancing potency ( 15 , 16 ). Whereas the development of these delivery platforms has focused mainly on the treatment of cancer ( 17 , 18 ), several studies have presented promising results after the delivery of BNZ and NFX via nanocarriers ( 13 , 19 , 20 ).…”

Antibacterial and antibiofilm potential of silver nanoparticles against antibiotic-sensitive and multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains

“…Thus, it is necessary to develop new therapeutic approaches able to exert not only antibacterial activity, but also antibiofilm since the latter is considered a challenge for eradication [15,16]. Therefore, the use of materials on a nanometric scale is a viable strategy for carrying biomolecules and drugs, as it provides advantages such as increased half-life time and systemic circulation time, greater contact between the compound and the pathogen, better bioavailability, and greater absorption, resulting in a better adherence to therapy and more efficient treatment [17,18].…”

Poly ethylene glycol (PEG)-Related controllable and sustainable antidiabetic drug delivery systems

“…Amphiphilic block copolymeric micelles are a series of thermodynamically stable colloidal dispersions consisting of amphiphilic block copolymers, being of diverse strengths such as stabilizing drugs, targeting delivery, enhancing cellular uptake 57,58 . Three types of amphiphilic copolymeric micelles have been applied…”