This is a neat idea. We can use food derived carriers for drug
delivery at the nanosized scale. Grapefruit just happens to be a
better choice.
It also tells us that we are now have enough density in our knowledge
to spend effort dong just this to produce a superior alternative.
This will be targeted drug delivery at its best.
May 21, 2013 —
Lipids (right panel first three tubes) derived from grapefruit. GNVs
can efficiently deliver a variety of therapeutic agents, including
DNA, RNA (DIR-GNVs), proteins and anti-cancer drugs (GNVs-Drugs) as
demonstrated in this study.
Grapefruits have long
been known for their health benefits, and the subtropical fruit may
revolutionize how medical therapies like anti-cancer drugs are
delivered to specific tumor cells.
University of
Louisville researchers have uncovered how to create nanoparticles
using natural lipids derived from grapefruit, and have discovered how
to use them as drug delivery vehicles. UofL scientists Huang-Ge
Zhang, D.V.M., Ph.D., Qilong Wang, Ph.D., and their team today (May
21, 2013), published their findings inNature Communications.
"These
nanoparticles, which we've named grapefruit-derived nanovectors
(GNVs), are derived from an edible plant, and we believe they are
less toxic for patients, result in less biohazardous waste for the
environment, and are much cheaper to produce at large scale than
nanoparticles made from synthetic materials," Zhang said.
The researchers
demonstrated that GNVs can transport various therapeutic agents,
including anti-cancer drugs, DNA/RNA and proteins such as antibodies.
Treatment of animals with GNVs seemed to cause less adverse effects
than treatment with drugs encapsulated in synthetic lipids.
"Our GNVs can be
modified to target specific cells -- we can use them like missiles to
carry a variety of therapeutic agents for the purpose of destroying
diseased cells," he said. "Furthermore, we can do this at
an affordable price."
The therapeutic
potential of grapefruit derived nanoparticles was further validated
through a Phase 1 clinical trial for treatment of colon cancer
patients. So far, researchers have observed no toxicity in the
patients who orally took the anti-inflammatory agent curcumin
encapsulated in grapefruit nanoparticles.
The UofL scientists
also plan to test whether this technology can be applied in the
treatment of inflammation related autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid
arthritis.
A Common Sense
Approach
Zhang said he began
this research by considering how our ancestors selected food to eat.
"The fruits and
vegetables we buy from the grocery today were passed down from
generation to generation as favorable and nutritious for the human
body. On the flip side, outcomes were not favorable for our ancestors
who ate poisonous mushrooms, for example," he said. "It
made sense for us to consider eatable plants as a mechanism to create
medical nanoparticles as a potential non-toxic therapeutic delivery
vehicle."
In addition to
grapefruit, Zhang and his team analyzed the nanoparticles from
tomatoes and grapes. Grapefruits
were chosen for further exploration because a larger quantity of
lipids can be derived from this fruit.
No comments:
Post a Comment