Drug carriers that target the vascular endothelium
must adhere to the endothelial vessel wall to achieve clinical
stability. The particle size is a critical physical property to
prescribe particle margination within biological blood flows and
those conducted in-lab. While microparticles are optimal for
margination, nanoparticles are better for intracellular delivery.
In a new report now on Science Advances, Margaret B. Fish and a
research team in chemical engineering, pharmacology and
cardiovascular medicine and engineering at the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor U.S., tested flexible hydrogel particles as
carriers to transport nanoparticles to a diseased vascular wall.
Based on the microparticle modulus, nanoparticle-loaded poly
(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogel microparticles delivered more than
50-nm nanoparticles to the vessel wall, when compared to freely
injected nanoparticles to achieve more than 3000 percent increase
in delivery. The work showed the benefit of optimizing the
efficiency margination of microparticles to enhance transport of
nanocarriers to the vascular wall.
Using flexible microparticles as drug carriers to shuttle
nanoparticles to the vascular wall
