Published ahead of print on September 8, 2005, doi:10.1164/rccm.200504-613PP
© 2005 American Thoracic Society doi: 10.1164/rccm.200504-613PP
The Potential Advantages of Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems in Chemotherapy of TuberculosisResearch Center for Molecular Diagnostics and Therapy, Moscow, Russian Federation; and National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Leonid Heifets, M.D., Ph.D., National Jewish, 1400 Jackson Street, Denver, CO 80206. E-mail: heifetsl{at}njc.org ABSTRACT Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have considerable potential for treatment of tuberculosis (TB). The important technological advantages of nanoparticles used as drug carriers are high stability, high carrier capacity, feasibility of incorporation of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substances, and feasibility of variable routes of administration, including oral application and inhalation. Nanoparticles can also be designed to allow controlled (sustained) drug release from the matrix. These properties of nanoparticles enable improvement of drug bioavailability and reduction of the dosing frequency, and may resolve the problem of nonadherence to prescribed therapy, which is one of the major obstacles in the control of TB epidemics. This article highlights some of the issues of nanotechnology relevant to the anti-TB drugs.
Key Words: antituberculosis drugs • nanoparticles • tuberculosis therapy This article has been cited by other articles:
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