Stimuli-responsive nanoparticles can specifically target infections, finds study

WSU scientists at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences built a new nanoparticle and coated it with the molecules that blood vessels have been found to release in response to infections.

Editorial Team | Published: September 12, 2018 7:05 pm

Nanoparticles to drugs to treat infections © Shutterstock

A recent study at Washington State University shows that nanoparticles (stimuli-responsive) can specifically target infections to simultaneously reduce the inflammation it causes and prevent the spread of bacteria. These nanoparticles are loaded with anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties. They are released when the particles encounter infection in the body.

According to the Phys.org report, the researchers in the lab of Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor Zhenjia Wang are looking for a new way to fight sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response that can cause organ failure.

However, Zhenjia Wang reportedly said that this study not only proves a new drug delivery system but also may shift the current landscape in nanomedicine to the biology-driven design of nanotherapeutics. These nanoparticles have the potential to improve the therapies of many more infectious diseases.

The study has been published in the latest issue of the journal Advanced Materials. WSU scientists at the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences built a new nanoparticle and coated it with the molecules that blood vessels have been found to release in response to infections. This dressing makes the nanoparticle more powerful to fight against the infection. When they reach the site of an infection the bacterial enzymes present act as a trigger for the drugs to be released.

To alleviate the onset of sepsis, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories are already used, but these therapies are very old school. Their effects don’t last long and a portion of the drug is eliminated from the body without ever encountering the infected tissue it was intended for as they are metabolized quickly. The repeated dose of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories are harmful to our health as they can damage other organs. They are very toxic in nature.
The leading author on the paper and a postdoctoral research associate in the Wang lab, Can Yang Zhang reportedly said that this study will allow chemists and materials engineers to design new drug formulations to treat many bacterial infections.

In medical practices, the use of nanoparticle technology is growing, but this is the first time a nanocarrier has been built to deliver not one, but two drugs and these drugs encounter infectious tissues.

Published: September 12, 2018 7:05 pm

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