Abstract
Lectins are proteins / glycoproteins of non-immunological origin found ubiquitously in all organisms. Research investigations show that many types of diseased tissues often display glycans that vary from their normal counterparts. Therefore, lectins that can interact with these transformed glycans may be used for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Specificity of lectins towards glycans has greatly attracted nanobiotechnology in engineering lectin functionalized nanoparticles. Conjugating lectin with a nanosystem can identify and specifically attach to the carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins expressed on cell surfaces and this has led to the development of several lectin functionalized nanoparticles to target drugs to various tissues with minimized systemic side effects. Such efficient lectin functionalized nanoparticles developed so far, and their role in targeted drug delivery, targeted therapies and oral immunization are reviewed. Technical difficulties behind designing and targeting these lectin functionalized nanoparticles are also discussed.
Keywords: Drug delivery, glycoprotein, immunization, nanocrystals, nanoparticles, photodynamic therapy.
Current Drug Delivery
Title:Lectins as Ligands for Directing Nanostructured Systems
Volume: 15 Issue: 4
Author(s): Ramaswamy Viswambari Devi*Michael Rajam Basil-Rose
Affiliation:
- Department of Advanced Zoology and Biotechnology, Holy Cross College, Nagercoil-629 004, Tamil Nadu,India
Keywords: Drug delivery, glycoprotein, immunization, nanocrystals, nanoparticles, photodynamic therapy.
Abstract: Lectins are proteins / glycoproteins of non-immunological origin found ubiquitously in all organisms. Research investigations show that many types of diseased tissues often display glycans that vary from their normal counterparts. Therefore, lectins that can interact with these transformed glycans may be used for early diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Specificity of lectins towards glycans has greatly attracted nanobiotechnology in engineering lectin functionalized nanoparticles. Conjugating lectin with a nanosystem can identify and specifically attach to the carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins expressed on cell surfaces and this has led to the development of several lectin functionalized nanoparticles to target drugs to various tissues with minimized systemic side effects. Such efficient lectin functionalized nanoparticles developed so far, and their role in targeted drug delivery, targeted therapies and oral immunization are reviewed. Technical difficulties behind designing and targeting these lectin functionalized nanoparticles are also discussed.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Devi Viswambari Ramaswamy *, Basil-Rose Rajam Michael , Lectins as Ligands for Directing Nanostructured Systems, Current Drug Delivery 2018; 15 (4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567201815666180108101246
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1567201815666180108101246 |
Print ISSN 1567-2018 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-5704 |
Call for Papers in Thematic Issues
Advances of natural products, bio-actives and novel drug delivery system against emerging viral infections
Due to the increasing prevalence of viral infections and the ability of these human pathogens to develop resistance to current treatment strategies, there is a great need to find and develop new compounds to combat them. These molecules must have low toxicity, specific activity and high bioavailability. The most suitable ...read more
Electrospun Fibers as Drug Delivery Systems
In recent years, electrospun fibers have attracted considerable attention as potential platforms for drug delivery due to their distinctive properties and adaptability. These fibers feature a notable surface area-to-volume ratio and can be intentionally designed with high porosity, facilitating an increased capacity for drug loading and rendering them suitable for ...read more
Emerging Nanotherapeutics for Mitigation of Neurodegenerative Disorders
Conditions affecting the central nervous system (CNS) present a significant hurdle due to limited access of both treatments and diagnostic tools for the brain. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) acts as a barrier, restricting the passage of molecules from the bloodstream into the brain. The most formidable challenge facing scientists is ...read more
Nanotechnology Based Chemotherapy for the treatment of Head & Neck Cancer
The escalating recurrence rates observed in Head and Neck cancer, particularly within the chemo-therapeutically treated cohort (50-60%), can be attributed to the non-selective nature of current anticancer drug delivery modalities. In this context, nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems emerge as a promising avenue for achieving precise localization of therapeutic agents to ...read more
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
Related Articles
-
Imiquimod 5% Cream Use in Dermatology, Side Effects and Recent Patents
Recent Patents on Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery Potentials of Hydrogels in Cancer Therapy
Current Cancer Therapy Reviews A Point of View: The Need to Identify an Antigen in Psyconeuroimmunological Disorders
Current Pharmaceutical Design Decreased Serum Adiponectin Level Affected Clinical Pathological Characteristics of Patients with Gastric Cancer
Current Proteomics Natural and Synthetic Retinoids in Prostate Cancer
Current Pharmaceutical Design Druggability of Mortalin for Cancer and Neuro-Degenerative Disorders
Current Pharmaceutical Design Targeting RANK/RANKL in the Treatment of Solid Tumours and Myeloma
Current Pharmaceutical Design A Review on Novel Breast Cancer Therapies: Photodynamic Therapy and Plant Derived Agent Induced Cell Death Mechanisms
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Antiproliferative Effects of Nerium oleander Leaves and Their Cardiac Glycosides Odoroside A and Oleandrin on MCF-7 Cancer Cells
Current Traditional Medicine Ascorbic Acid: Its Role in Immune System and Chronic Inflammation Diseases
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Graphical Abstracts
Letters in Drug Design & Discovery Treating Cancer in Older and Oldest Old Patients
Current Pharmaceutical Design Insight to Physiology and Pathology of Zinc(II) Ions and Their Actions in Breast and Prostate Carcinoma
Current Medicinal Chemistry Biliary Innate Immunity in the Pathogenesis of Biliary Diseases
Inflammation & Allergy - Drug Targets (Discontinued) Oncotarget Strategies For Herpes Simplex Virus-1
Current Gene Therapy Paris polyphylla: Chemical and Biological Prospectives
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry The Role of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Tumor Angiogenesis
Current Stem Cell Research & Therapy Tyrosine Kinases as New Molecular Targets in Treatment of Inflammatory Disorders and Leukemia
Current Pharmaceutical Design Synthesis of Isoxazole Moiety Containing Thieno[2,3-d]pyrimidine Derivatives and Preliminarily in vitro Anticancer Activity (Part II)
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Association of Use of the Oral Contraceptive Pill (OCP) with the Expression Pattern of Different Molecular Subtypes of Breast Cancer
Current Women`s Health Reviews