Polymeric Nanocarriers for the Delivery of Antimalarials

Abstract

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by a protozoan parasite which is transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes around tropical and sub-tropical regions. Half of the world’s population is at risk of being infected by malaria. This mainly includes children, pregnant women and people living with chronic diseases. The main factor that has contributed to the spread of this disease is the increase in the number of drug-resistant parasites. To overcome drug resistance, researchers have developed drug delivery systems from biodegradable polymers for the loading of antimalarials. The drug delivery systems were characterized by distinct features such as good biocompatibility, high percentage drug encapsulation, reduced drug toxicity and targeted drug delivery. In this review article, we highlight the various types of drug delivery systems developed from polymeric nanocarriers used for the delivery of antimalarials.

Promising nanomaterials in the fight against malaria

“…This section includes relevant studies reported in recent years focused on polymeric nanostructures developed for drug delivery systems, polymer-based prodrugs and also prophylactic tools. 94 The last sub-section is devoted to dendrimers as a unique family of hyperbranched polymers with special features for drug conjugation.…”

Porphyrin Derivative Nanoformulations for Therapy and Antiparasitic Agents

“…Nanoformulations have also been investigated for malaria treatment. For this purpose, the activity of conventional antimalarial drugs has been enhanced, especially by encapsulation in liposomes, micelles, polymeric particles, cyclodextrin, and dendrimers [137][138][139][140][141][142]. The first work on the incorporation of traditional antimalarial drugs into liposomes was published in 1989 by Peeters et al [143,144].…”

Efficacy of Polymer-Based Nanocarriers for Co-Delivery of Curcumin and Selected Anticancer Drugs

“…All the aforementioned properties make hydrogels very useful in biomedical applications such as diagnostics, regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, separation of biomolecules, cellular immobilization, drug delivery, etc. [37]. Hydrogels have been studied extensively for the treatment and management of chronic diseases such as malaria, cancer, tuberculosis, human immune virus (HIV), and influenza.…”