Abstract
Liposomes, as nanocarriers for therapeutics, are a prominent focus in translational medicine. Given their biocompatibility, liposomes are suitable drug delivery systems rendering highly efficient therapeutic outcomes with minimal off-site toxicity. In different scenarios of human disease, it is essential not only to maintain therapeutic drug levels but also to target them to the appropriate intracellular compartment. Mitochondria regulate cellular signalling, calcium balance, and energy production, playing a crucial role in various human diseases. The notion of focusing on mitochondria for targeted drug delivery was proposed several decades ago, yet the practical application of this idea and its translation to clinical use is still in development. Mitochondrial-targeted liposomes offer an alternative to standard drug delivery systems, potentially reducing off-target interactions, side effects, and drug dosage or frequency. To advance this field, it is imperative to integrate various disciplines such as efficient chemical design, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and cell biology. This review summarises scientific advances in the design, development and characterisation of novel liposome-based drug delivery systems targeting the mitochondria while revisiting their translational potential.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Journal of Drug Targeting |
Early online date | 8 Dec 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 8 Dec 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.Keywords
- Nanocarriers
- liposomes
- mitochondria
- mitochondrial dysfunction
- targeted drug delivery